


Big D

by ssklarolinewrites



Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Canon-ish, F/M, Starting at the end of TVD Season 7, and The Originals Season 3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-11
Updated: 2017-07-23
Packaged: 2018-08-14 09:00:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 51,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8007151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ssklarolinewrites/pseuds/ssklarolinewrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Caroline's living the single life in the Big D, along with the twins and her sort-of baby-daddy. What happens when someone reaches out for help, someone with a 5 year old, especially when the help is for He Who Shall Not Be Named? Yeah, she means Klaus.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Ding-Dong

Caroline looked at the clock on her laptop when her doorbell rang. It was 7:48pm in the Big D.

Big D. Hmm. Where was all the D that was supposed to be big anyway? How big were they talking? Also, where were all the cowboys she was supposed to be riding to save horses? If not in Dallas, Texas, where? She wanted to save the precious horses. PETA should award her. Actually, probably not if they found out about her past animal diet.

Were Big and Rich lying to her? How dare they!

Caroline Forbes did not know, but it called for a formal investigation.

Calloused hands holding the reigns. Mmmm.

Strong thighs squeezing a bucking bronc. Mmmm.

With a shake of her head, Caroline focused.

Whoever was at her door was pushing the acceptable time for dropping in. This was The South and things were done a certain way. Late night drop ins without a call weren't usual.

It wasn't Ric and the girls. Her little monkeys would be snug in their beds. They knocked and walked right in anyway.

A neighbor asking to borrow a cup of sugar? Too cliche.

Did she win the Publisher's Clearinghouse grand prize? Probably not, since she didn't enter the sweepstakes. Her grandma entered every year. It was a fond memory.

Dallas was her home once again. She stayed in Mystic Falls for about a month after Ric and the girls returned to Dallas. She was back though. This time was different. Yes, that sounded like a cliche from a movie sequel, but she meant it. This time it was personal. Sorry, she couldn't help it.

Reestablishing their trust after her time away took time and a few epic meltdowns…both hers and theirs. They were young enough to be flexible, but the past six months had been weird. Caroline rushed them out to New Orleans for safety and both her and Ric encouraged them to use their siphoning powers for the first time. It wasn't their usual play dates and dance lessons.

During her time away, Caroline realized she made a mistake. Scratch that. She made a lot of mistakes, but two pretty big ones back-to-back no less.

Mistake #1: Getting engaged to Alaric Saltzman.

That was a bone-headed move. Seriously, Caroline?

Agreeing to marry him came out of convenience and a desire to keep things the same, but it was also crazy. She didn't have to marry Alaric to be a mom to the girls. It wasn't the 1950s where they'd be shunned due to their non-traditional family. She was sort of-maybe-technically their mom, but also not really. That didn't matter to them, Ric, or her. She was the only mom they'd known, although Ric also told them about Jo. They didn't quite understand that part yet and who could blame them? For all intents and purposes, Caroline was their mom and other than an epic month-long mistake, she thought she was pretty much nailing it. Yeah, she probably just jinxed herself.

Caroline didn't love Alaric, not in the way a wife should love a husband. She hadn't even kissed him other than a peck on the cheek. She didn't want to kiss him. Ever! No really, ever. Alaric was a good provider, a great dad, and she knew objectively he was handsome. He wasn't for her though. [Not to mention the pretty icky factor of him having been her teacher and Elena's guardian. Those things were best forgotten, along with the short engagement.] Stefan coming back ripped her blinders off and she was better off for it.

That brought her to Mistake #2.

Stefan Salvatore.

Why was it that her two big mistakes were related to guys anyway? Hadn't she gotten past that phase? C'mon, Caroline! Get it together. You are strong, hear you roar!

The mistake with Stefan was a real doozy too, Forbes.

When he was around, something in her brain misfired. She'd idealized him for so long that seeing him for the perfectly flawed, real guy he was did not come easy. In fact, her denial put up a pretty good fight for much too long.

Her self-respect? Gone.

Her standards? Gone.

They all disappeared in the name of Salvatore.

When Stefan came to Dallas, he brought with him danger and excitement- things she didn't realize she missed while changing diapers and cleaning bottles. Stefan also had all the things Alaric was missing. She was attracted to him and being in his arms was familiar. [P.S. Stefan smelled really good.] In other words…she had sex. S-E-X. Sex.

Caroline loved sex and going without it for so long obviously messed with her head. Something about neurons misfiring…if she had to make a guess. Maybe she should Google it. Anyway, sex with Stefan was good (not the best sex that thinking about still curled her toes with He Who Shall Not Be Named,) but good. Ok, it was adequate. That wasn't Stefan's fault or hers. There was an ingredient missing.

It was everything but the decent sex that was the problem. She didn't consider her time with Stefan before the babies a mistake. The mistake was jumping back in three years later without resolving the problems they had before. She didn't learn anything from the first time around. That was the part that drove her nuts looking back. He didn't respect her ability to choose things for herself, wanting to protect her at the expense of her own free will. What was with the vervaining anyway? Not cool, Salvatore. Getting coddled or, oddly enough, hurt in the name of "love" was not acceptable. Not as a vampire who was strong, ageless, and fearless.

Nope, she wasn't going to think about Voldemort today. Shoot! She meant He Who Shall Not Be Named.

She was also never Stefan's priority, as if her being so self-sufficient was a turn off.

Oh yeah and he ditched her. Yup, he left her without talking it over. He decided he knew best…and Caroline sometimes in her heart of hearts believed that he was probably right because she couldn't have left the kids then, but couldn't they have been adults and said the words? Did it have to come with the dose of humiliation at being ditched? Abandoned? Dumped? Um yeah, there was also the fact that he was shagging his first love while he was gone. Nope, that didn't sting at all when she found out about it. Were there more open wounds salt could be poured on please?

At least he stuck around while his girlfriend was forced to play surrogate to some strange babies, right? Right? He stayed for that, but the connection Caroline built with the girls was too much for him.

Caroline knew why he did what he did, but she didn't have to like it. When Damon or Elena needed him, she was pretty sure he'd ditch her again and was on the verge of doing it once more when she left. She loved the way Stefan loved them, but she was never part of that exclusive club.

Once the adrenaline high wore off (pheromones too,) Damon was in trouble again which is where Stefan had to be. That was the perfect choice for Stefan. It just wasn't the perfect choice for her anymore. She would always love Stefan, but it was a platonic love, not the epic, romantic love she wanted. It took that second shot for her to figure it out finally! Finally!

Her heart was calling her back to the two little girls who cried when she talked to them on the phone, not understanding why she wasn't there and why she couldn't say when she'd be back. Coming up with feeble excuses while she twiddled her thumbs in Mystic Falls was lame. Her heart told her that Stefan chasing and rescuing Damon, and vice versa, had gone on for a century and would go on for centuries more. Her head told her that a mix of old and new, vampire and mom, was what she needed. That meant returning to Dallas and making it work.

Bonnie sort of understood why Caroline left, but she was in the middle of her own personal hell. Her powers, so soon after being restored, were gone again. Oh and yeah…her boyfriend and best friend were under the influence of an ancient evil bitch.

Why was it that ancient evils were always bitches? Rebekah Mikaelson, anyone?

Bonnie and Stefan were usually following after where Enzo and Damon had been rather than getting in front of them. Caroline offered them all the help she could from Dallas by doing research, giving them tools to help them fight for their loved ones. She promised to be there when they needed her and they agreed to call when the time came. There were two adorable twins who needed her too and her job was to help mold them into self-sufficient kick-ass women…with great fashion sense. They would need her less and less and she'd become more and more vampire. That was the plan she carefully plotted out anyway. Yes, a pie chart was part of the presentation if you must know.

Caroline didn't slink back into Dallas. That isn't how things are done there. Dallas was the land of big boobs, big belt buckles, and big egos. "The higher the hair, the closer to God," was not a joke.

It's a huge city with an eclectic mix of everything from trophy wives spending oil money to rough neighborhoods where some of the country's best athletes came from. There was also everything in between. Alaric picked it because of his job, but Caroline kind of loved it. Big D all right.

Head held high, Caroline rented a bungalow in the same neighborhood as Ric. It was less than a five minute walk. They shared custody of the girls. The twins weren't sure at first at the split, but they developed a new routine and adapted like the champs they were.

Ric was working in the English Department at Southern Methodist University. He taught Folklore, which he knew to be real-lore. His job was good and he had time to spend with his girls, giving them the life he'd plotted out with Jo. He made a few neighborhood friends and liked to play trivia at least once a week to keep from going toddler-crazy.

Rather than returning to the television station, Caroline found part-time work at the Dallas Morning News. The assignments weren't front-page worthy, but it was a job to pay her rent and she could mostly work from home. Freelance assignments helped pay the rest of the bills. To fill her spare time, she started a blog. She wrote about Dallas. The blog could tell you where to get the best pedicure, who did the best blowouts, where not to get the fish tacos, and where to get the cutest sandals for 3 year olds under $20. It was a guide for both visitors and locals. She updated it twice a week and considering it was only a few weeks old, it had a decent following. It motivated her to go out and explore her city with the girls or with some of the fellow moms she met. Plus there were the girls at spin class who occasionally ate back all the calories they burned by going out for Mexican after class. Margaritas, anyone?

What she couldn't tell the people of Dallas? The best place to go on a first date. The place that best set the mood for sealing the deal. Where to meet a nice, sexy guy. Where a hot vampire could have hot sex in the hot city. Did she mention hot? Where was the big D already?

Caroline was ready to get out there and get back in the saddle…no pun intended. Ok, maybe a little.

Her thing with Alaric was platonic. Her thing with Stefan popped back up and scratched an itch, but her heart wasn't in it. She was ready to go out and meet someone she actually liked. It didn't have to be love, but an attraction with a decent guy wasn't too much to ask for, was it? A friend with benefits maybe? She was a hot babe. At least Voldemort…no! He Who Shall Not Be Named thought so.

The time was right to stick her toe back into the dating waters, even though those waters tended to be murky.

Watch out, Big D! Caroline was ready!

Caroline wasn't quite so sure what a guy would say if they saw her at the moment. She was barefoot with hot pink polish on her toes. Lizzie picked it out. She had on a cotton panty and tank set for pajamas featuring Wonder Woman. Don't judge her! Wonder Woman happened to kick ass with style. Caroline thought the same about herself. Her hair was up in a messy bun on the top of her head. Oh yeah, she also had a clay mud mask drying on her face with three minutes to go. Yes, her timer was set. While technically her appearance wouldn't change, she wasn't taking chances since her hair still grew and she still had that annoying hair growing on her chin that demanded plucking every so often. If that could happen, clogged pores could too.

The relative success of her blog and recent enquiries had a business idea percolating in her head and she'd been doing online research about small businesses, knowing they so often failed. Closing her laptop, she padded over to the door. Caroline figured her appearance was perfect to get rid of her night-time visitor, even though it was still light out since it was the end of July.

Opening the door quickly, Caroline was not prepared for who was there.

Oh hell no.

Not today.

Not any day.

Not letting the other person speak, Caroline snapped the neck in front of her.

The resulting thud of the body hitting the floor was music to her ears. It was so satisfying. Wonder Woman would be proud!

What she didn't count on?

A five year old to start wailing right in front of her.

Shoot.


	2. Chapter 2

Caroline slapped her palm against her forehead.

How could she explain to a kid that she snapped her mom's neck? Whoops? Her hands slipped?

How could she also forget she had a face mask on? She swiped her palm against her thigh. It was mostly dry fortunately.

Caroline put her palms out to the bawling little girl who was staring at her mom's body in horror.

"It's…um, magic. I did a magic trick on your mom," Caroline started to ramble, needing who she presumed to be Hope Mikaelson, to calm down. The neighbors would come over and she really didn't want to compel a ton of people.

The little girl's blue eyes were still filled with tears, but the explanation was so unusual that it got her attention. She eyed Caroline.

"Pretty cool, right?" Caroline bluffed, seeing it was working. The little girl was adorable. It figures Klaus would make a beautiful baby. "Your mom's fine. I made her fall asleep. I'm really good at the trick so it will take a little while for her to wake up from her nap."

Hope wiped a hand across her runny nose. "Really?"

"I promise she's fine."

Caroline wanted to get a good look at Klaus' daughter, but first she needed a little help.

"I have to get someone from next door to help with my magic trick, but you can go on in. It's too hot our here."

The door was held open and Hope carefully walked inside seeing some toys. That was reassuring. She had a pink backpack over her shoulders.

"I'll be just a minute."

Jogging barefoot down the street, Caroline caught the attention of a neighbor who was watering his lawn before it got dark.

Yeah, Caroline had the eternally perky boobs of a 17 year old. It was great.

They were bouncing around in her tank top as she ran to Ric's house.

Like a cliche from a movie, the guy shot water from the hose into the air like a horny teen.

Caroline gave him a quick wave as she moved on. His hose was only up for a few seconds. If that wasn't a subliminal message that the guy had erectile dysfunction, she wasn't sure what was. No Big D there. Next!

"Hey Ric," Caroline called quietly after knocking and stepping inside. "I need you."

Her former fiance, Alaric Saltzman, walked out and smiled at her appearance. "Let me guess, your water's been shut off and that stuff is stuck to your face."

"Close," she said with a big grin, "so close. I'm gonna need you to let in a vampire, well hybrid, into my place."

"Seriously?" he asked with hushed tones as he walked outside with her.

It was catchy, Caroline's "Seriously." The girls said it too.

"Are you sure?" Ric pressed as they neared her house. His voice got softer. "Klaus?"

"Yeah, I'm sure it's not him. It's his baby-momma, bringing her drama. I know, I know," she said, waving her hands, "I'm a poet."

Alaric rolled his eyes and then when they got to her steps he sighed heavily.

"Do you really want her inside?" he asked. Inviting Hayley in might mean inviting her problems in too.

Caroline got serious. "She brought her daughter."

Alaric got it immediately. Hayley was either desperate or there was no danger. Option A could be bad, but they couldn't turn their back on a kid, not while they were raising two of their own. One day it could be them needing help. In fact, they almost needed that help already. Option B was that it was nothing. He was hoping for option B.

"Everything ok, Miss Caroline?" her elderly next door neighbor called out. She was clearly trying to get a good look, but the fading sun and Caroline and Alaric's bodies were blocking her view.

"Yes, Miss Betty," Caroline called, turning on the charm. "Low blood sugar…and she's a bit of a drama queen." She couldn't resist adding in the shot while the hybrid was down. Petty? Yes. Satisfying? Also yes. "Have a good night."

"You can't mess around with the sugars," Miss Betty responded, muttering to herself. "Goodnight."

Ric gave her a wave. Then he went into Caroline's doorway to invite Hayley in. Following that he picked her up with Caroline's help to set her on the couch.

Hope was watching the action warily.

Caroline gave her a gentle smile. "I'm back. This is my friend Ric."

Hope just watched, not sure of anything going on. The people were strangers and her mom was asleep.

"Do you need me to stay?" he asked, propping a pillow under Hayley's head. Caroline pulled off Hayley's sandals. If her 3 year olds weren't going to ruin her couch, then neither was Hayley Marshall. Not today. Not. Today.

"I've got it," she told him with confidence. "I'll be over tomorrow morning for the girls. Thanks, Ric. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," he answered, nodding at Hope before leaving, closing the door behind him.

The house was quiet with just the white noise of the central air system.

That was until Caroline's phone buzzed. It was her timer.

"It's time for me to wash this off," she said, pointing to her face, "do you want to come with me?"

The poor little girl was probably traumatized by everything she'd seen Caroline guessed. The mask was the least of it, but face-washing had to be non-threatening, right?

Hope was curious about the strange woman and about seeing more of the house. There were pictures everywhere and toys carefully tucked into baskets. She also might be able to ask questions and she had a lot of them.

Following her, Hope leaned her arm against the open bathroom door as Caroline wiped off the mask, backpack still on.

"I'm sorry for doing that trick on your mom with no warning," Caroline admitted, feeling like a terrible person, as she made faces into the mirror to get the mask off. "It must have been really scary."

Hope nodded.

"You're Hope Mikaelson, right?"

"Yeah," she said in a quiet voice.

With her face shiny and bright, Caroline squatted in front of Hope, giving her a reassuring smile. "I'm Caroline Forbes. It's nice to meet you."

Hope could now see the beautiful blonde woman for the first time. She looked nice, but she was also kind of kooky.

"Do you know why you're here? At my house, Hope?"

It was wrong to pump a 5 year old for information, but where Hayley and Klaus were concerned, all bets were off. Dumber and Dumber had nothing on them.

"Mommy said we came to see Daddy's friend."

.  
.  
.  
They were coming to see Daddy's friend.

The words sliced through Caroline. It guaranteed her help.

She remembered her own desperation and confidence when she told the twins the same thing just a few months prior. He wasn't around to help her, but she couldn't turn someone out who needed her.

What kind of nonsense did Klaus find himself in now? And why did Hayley come to her? Of all people? Did they become long-distance BFFs and she didn't know about it? Did she accidentally Friend her on Facebook?

The cute little face in front of her deserved her help though and she'd do what she could.

"Are you my Daddy's friend?"

Caroline stood up and looked in the mirror, then at Hope. "I guess I am."  
.  
.  
.  
Why did admitting to being Klaus' friend sound so dramatic? It was almost like a vow. It gave her the creeps. At least there wasn't any thunder or lightning to accompany her pronouncement. [Yes, she waited a moment listen, but there were no signs from the heavens.]

It wasn't like saying it out loud made it binding or anything. Wait…did it?

Was she even his friend? She didn't call him on his birthday or any holidays. He did buy her a mini-fridge and they had an epic day/night of sex, but did that mean they were friends? Hmmm. With a roll of her eyes, she figured Klaus thought he was her friend.

Caroline shook her head to focus.

"Are you hungry? Thirsty? Did you have dinner? Do you have to use the bathroom?"

Like her daughters, Hope would always accept food. "I'm a little hungry."

Caroline smiled at her and led the way into the kitchen. "How does macaroni and cheese sound?"

"Good," Hope said.

"Do you want to sit and take off your backpack? I love the color. Pink is probably my favorite too."

Hope took her bag off and sat, but she kept the backpack close to her feet. It held her toothbrush, her hair brush, her favorite books, her pajamas, and a change of clothes. The bag in the car held the rest of her clothes and a handful of toys.

The whole situation was hard to follow for Hope. There was the pretty lady who was also kind of goofy. She did a magic trick on her mom and now her mom was asleep. However, her life was full of ups and downs she couldn't always understand for as long as she could remember. Plus Caroline had something none of the others did. Caroline knew her dad! All she really wanted was to get him back.

Caroline put the pot of water on the stove to boil. "It will take a little while," she told her, filling a glass of milk for Hope.

When Hope guzzled it down, Caroline refilled it and sat across from her.

Like her girls, Hope wiped off her milk mustache with her arm.

"Thank you," Hope said politely, remembering her manners.

"You're welcome."

"When will my mom wake up?"

It made her wince. Not smart, Forbes! "The macaroni and cheese will still be warm," Caroline promised.

Hope really was freaking cute, Caroline saw. She was handling the situation pretty well too. Josie would be demanding and Lizzie would be melting down.

Hope was taller than her girls, which made sense since she was about 2 years old, but still little. She was slim with long dark hair. That was all Hayley. The blue eyes and long lashes were all Klaus. Caroline wondered about her personality. How much came from each parent and how much was her own? She wasn't raging like her dad, that was for sure. Her jeans were new. Her sneakers were navy blue. Her T-shirt was striped, purple and white.

Was it weird that Caroline liked Klaus "Mr. Evil" Mikaelson much more than Hayley? If she had to list all the terrible things they'd done that she knew about, Hayley's list wouldn't be too long, but Klaus aka Voldemort aka He Who Shall Not Be Named would still win in her book. Did having Hope change Hayley? And Klaus? Also, where the heck was Klaus?

"You know my dad?" Hope had been dying to ask.

"I do. Is he a good dad?" Caroline couldn't picture it.

That was a lie. Mr. Evil, shirtless of course, cradling a baby would make her ovaries explode. She could picture it all too well. It was Voldemort changing diapers and cleaning up spit up she couldn't imagine. Giving piggy back rides and time outs she couldn't picture. What about giving band-aids and kisses after a fall, reattaching Barbie's leg like a pro, dealing with a nasty hair snarl, and handling a meltdown at the supermarket? Yeah. Caroline did all of that in the past 24 hours.

Hope looked down. "I think so." She looked up at Caroline and admitted, "I don't know."

Leaning in, Caroline went into mom-mode. "How come, baby?"

The endearment sounded nice to Hope. "I don't remember him."

The sadness in her voice broke Caroline's heart. This poor little girl didn't know her dad? How long had he been gone?

What. The. Fudge!

Was Klaus swanning around the world, seducing blonde neurotic women and dominating the supernatural world? Was that more important that raising his one and only child? Nothing could be more important!

Rage filled Caroline. She'd kick his ass over and over as soon as he stepped foot near her and he would. She knew it. She knew he'd be back at some point, but Hope didn't. That wasn't fair! Caroline also knew he wasn't dead, because then she would be dead too.

There was no excuse! What a dirtbag. See if she fantasized about him anymore.

He ruined his daughter's life and her fantasies? What kind of monster was he?

Ok, one mattered and one didn't… but who did he think he was?!

Maybe Hope was better off without him? He certainly liked being the center of attention and drama, not that there was anything wrong with that, but maybe Hope would have a safer, more "normal" life without having "the most powerful creature on the planet," yes that was a quote, as her dad?

"I'm really sorry, Hope." She really was.

"Yeah," she said, holding the empty milk glass. "Mommy and me are getting the stuff so we can see him."

Caroline made a face, having no idea what Hope was talking about. Was he being held for ransom?

If Hayley was telling Hope about Klaus though, it must mean she wasn't intentionally abandoned by him. Right? Otherwise they wouldn't talk about him at all. Maybe?

What was going on?

Caroline got up to check on the water which was close to boiling, but not yet. She sat back down. Hayley would have to be the one to answer her questions. That idea already had Caroline rolling her eyes.

"Ummm, what does my Daddy look like?" Hope was nervous to ask, but her Mom didn't tell her enough to satisfy her. Hayley didn't have a picture and she couldn't answer all of Hope's questions.

Once again, the question broke Caroline's heart. Klaus was such a freaking ass! Having Hope could have been the best thing that ever happened to him and he threw it away? It snuffed out that little thing inside her she couldn't identify, but was there.

She looked at the hopeful little girl. Would telling Hope do more harm than good?

"Your hair is like your mom's, but your eyes? They are the same exact color as your dad's. Exactly."

Hope's smile was so beautiful and Caroline couldn't help smiling back. She saw something else of Klaus' there. "Those great dimples? Those are just like your dad's too. They are very Mikaelson."

Hope kept grinning at that, feeling closer to him than ever before.

The water began to boil. Caroline dropped in the macaroni, added salt, and set the timer.

"You know what? I might have a picture. Let me look."

Caroline would never admit that she had a photo of Voldemort…but…she just happened to know that there was a photo of her dancing with him at the 20s Decade Dance. It just happened to make the yearbook. So what? She was aware of her photographic representation in the Mystic Falls High community. Sue her!

Finding the page was disturbingly easy and she brought the book out to the table. The picture was a piece of a larger collage. Caroline pointed it out to Hope.

The moment caught was the one where Klaus looked deep into her soul.

That soul-looking thing he did could blow a big one. She wasn't ever prepared for it. He went deeper than anyone else too.

Pun intended?

Maybe. [nudge, nudge, wink, wink]

"That's him," Caroline said, focusing on the present.

Hope practically crawled on top of the table, almost touching the book with her nose. "That's my Daddy?"

"That's your Daddy."

She smiled up at Caroline, thrilled. Then she studied him again. That was her dad right there. The one she was going to see.

"He's cute."

Since no one was around, or at least no one who would tell anyone else what she said, "He is," Caroline admitted on a sigh. He was a dirtbag, but objectively he was cute. That's all she would give him.

The photo reminded her that another existed. Yup, that was her story.

Opening her laptop, she found the archives for the Miss Mystic Falls pageant site.

Flipping the screen towards her, Caroline showed Hope the photos from the pageant where Klaus was her "date." There was a group shot and one where they were in the background.

Caroline enlarged them and Hope was in love.

Was it weird that all the photos she knew of were ones where Klaus was practically glued to her? It wasn't, right? Not weird at all. No sirree. They just happened to make a beautiful couple. Being photogenic wasn't a crime, was it? Still a dirtbag.

Hope went back and forth, studying all the photos.

The timer buzzed. Caroline drained the pasta, adding the fake cheese, milk, and butter. [Listen. Caroline fed her babies organic fruits and veggies, but no kid she ever met rejected macaroni and cheese. Lizzie was crazy about it.]

She set a small bowl of it in front of Hope who reluctantly sat back to eat, hating to stop looking. Caroline couldn't get over how cute and sweet she was. Where did she get her mellowness from? Both her parents could use a dose of her non-crazy.

"Do you want to see my daughters?" Caroline was proud to show them off.

Hope nodded as she ate and Caroline found recent ones on the computer.

"This is Josie." Josie had shiny brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. "And this is Lizzie." Lizzie had wavy blonde hair and blue-green eyes. Caroline smiled at her babies.

"They're twins? That's so cool."

Caroline could see more of Hope's personality come out as she became more comfortable. Seeing your mom's neck snapped tended to make one wary, after all. Show them a picture of your long lost dad and everything was A-ok. Kids were resilient. It's part of what made them awesome in Caroline's opinion. "They are pretty cool. They're really funny too. They're three years old."

"I'm 5."

"Are you going to kindergarten coming up?"

Hope shrugged, finishing her bowl. "I don't know."

Enough was enough. Hope wasn't going to kindergarten? She didn't know what her dad looked like and she didn't know him?

Was Hayley raising her as some sort of Nell character where she wasn't socialized at all? Was she taking the whole werewolf thing to the next level? What was the wolf version of Tarzan anyway?

Caroline bit her cheek to keep from smiling at her musing. That wasn't exactly true. Hope's clothes were stylish. She didn't speak in that stilted way very-isolated kids spoke. Still, Caroline knew exactly where the twins would be going to school and they hadn't even started pre-school yet. They were enrolled in pre-school though. Duh! It was July! School started in August in Texas since it was so hot. No time to putz around.

"Where are your kids?" Hope asked. They weren't in the house she knew, but the signs of them were everywhere including the colorful scribbles on the fridge.

"With their dad."

"Far away?" she asked, the idea making her sad.

"Nope. They live right down the street. The man that was here before? He's their dad."

Hope gave her a look. "Is he your boyfriend?"

Caroline was used to bold questions from her girls. They cut right to the chase sometimes those two, especially fascinated by weird things. They were also really into bathroom humor at the moment. Mention a butt or a fart and they thought it was comedy gold. Alaric was so proud. "Nope."

Her look got slyer. "Is my dad?"

Caroline laughed and mumbled, "He wishes," but she said aloud for Hope, "No, your dad is not my boyfriend. I don't have one." Caroline's eyes twinkled. "Do you?"

Hope grinned, eyes twinkling too. "Justin Bieber."

Caroline laughed and Hope giggled. They were fast friends for life, bonding over the Beebs.

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Their laughter was the first thing Hayley heard when she woke up.

Her neck throbbed and she immediately figured out what happened. She hoped it meant she was even with Caroline because it hurt and she needed Caroline's help.

She heard Caroline tell Hope that she also had a picture of her Aunt Rebekah.

Getting pictures of the family before they ran didn't even enter into her head and she felt bad that Hope didn't know what her family looked like. She had no idea it would take so long to try to put them back together either.

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"There she is," Caroline told Hope, showing her a picture of Rebekah. "That's your dad's sister which makes her your aunt."

The photo made Caroline roll her eyes so hard. Suppressing a snort was impossible.

Rebekah was in her Single White Female phase at the time and her picture looked suspiciously like Caroline's with the hair style and colors. Caroline was pretty sure Rebekah's was airbrushed too. Why bother? Her skin was flawless. Hmm. Did Rebekah use clay masks too? She'd have to make a note and find out.

She heard a noise and looked up to see Hayley standing up behind them.

"Mommy!" Hope ran and hugged her. "She did a magic trick on you."

Caroline smirked.

Seeing the empty bowl and glass made something in Hayley ease up. Caroline would be good to Hope.

"Do you want to see pictures of Daddy?" she asked her mom, really excited. Then she looked at Caroline. "Can you show her?"

Caroline flipped to the right yearbook page and internet page, entrancing Hope all over again.

"That's him all right," Hayley said as Caroline walked into the girls' room, returning with 2 things in her hands.

"Your dad is an artist. Are you going to be one too?"

"Yes," Hope agreed immediately, never considering it before.

Caroline figured, sensing the hero worship, and set down a coloring book and crayons that Hope went to town on.

"Your mom and I need to talk."


	3. Chapter 3

The two women faced off across Caroline's back patio. Dun Dun Dunnnnn.

She loved her yard. There was a lot of shade from an established tree which was key in Texas. The yard was also fenced, which was key for her girls, and it gave her privacy. The green space was quiet and she had plans to add to it. It was only a rental, her brain responded.

Caroline crossed her arms over her chest. "Number 1. Why are you here? Number 2. If you need me to kick Klaus' ass for being a deadbeat dad, I will, but I don't know where he is." That was all she meant to ask, but a third one popped out before she knew what she was asking. "Are you and Klaus together?"

"God no," Hayley scoffed. She crossed her arms over her own chest. It was hot out and she was starting to sweat in her T-shirt and jeans. Caroline looked comfy although she was barely wearing anything.

Her answer mollified Caroline, making her sniff. She might have asked, but the answer was no biggie. Nope.

"I know where he is," Hayley admitted, which irked Caroline all over again.

Seriously? She was the one who needed help from Klaus! That was a serious situation with her daughters and he didn't make himself available. How dare he! That whole "Friends, then?" and "Last Love" stuff was a bunch of hot air. What did Shakespeare say? Words are wind. Nope, it was George R.R. Martin. Close enough.

"He's not a deadbeat dad exactly." She caught Caroline's eye. "He's dessicating."

Caroline tried hard not to react, but it shocked her. Mr. Alpha Male was in trouble? Was it a life choice she didn't understand, like face tattoos?

"He got in trouble trying to take over the world again, didn't he?" Nothing else made sense. He was indestructible with an ego the size of the galaxy. Someone stopped him and that didn't bother her one bit. Nope. Not at all. Nope. Not a thing. [Was she convincing? Were there awards for unbelievable Denial? Hers deserved some sort of Olympic acknowledgement.]

"He made enemies," Hayley admitted, "but it wasn't just him. He's desiccating for his family, buying time until I can save them."

Caroline bit her lip. She knew he loved his family in his own super weird way, but being selfless wasn't exactly his thing.

She knew this thing.

Big D all right.

"I was just in New Orleans. I needed help." She looked down. Klaus not being available stung still. "How long has he been dessicating?" The people in New Orleans hadn't seen him for 3 years, but Klaus was sneaky and lived for drama. [Her denial wouldn't let her admit how much she liked that about him. Go for the gold!] "A few months?" That would be awful, but he could stand it. He was the strongest person she knew.

She'd still pick Wonder Woman.

Hayley wouldn't look Caroline in the eye. "Three years."

Hahahaha. Wait what?

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Three years, ok?"

"Hayley! What. The. Fudge!"

Not swearing around the girls was hard, but they were little sponges so she had to be creative. "Shoot" and "What the fudge" were her favorites. "Shut the front door" was another popular choice.

No wonder Hope didn't know her dad. He'd been gone since she was 2! Aww!

"What have you been doing, mimicking a sloth?" Ok, it was weak, but it got her point across.

"I didn't come here for you to judge me" Hayley snapped. "I'm keeping Hope safe and keeping a low profile."

Caroline began to pace. "I need a drink." Hayley was a boob, but she was also a mom. She supposed she could cut her some slack, right? On the other hand, if Hayley was the reason Klaus couldn't help her when she needed it…not cool!

"Me too," Hayley agreed, looking around for a source of blood.

"You can spend the night." It was begrudging, but that little girl needed someplace safe.

"Thanks."

They went inside where Hope showed off her artistic prowess. Caroline told her she was sure Klaus would be very proud. Hope couldn't get a better compliment. She beamed and the art went on the fridge for safekeeping.

They told her they would be sleeping over. She got cleaned up and in her pajamas. She picked Josie's bed to sleep in. Caroline wished her a good night and Hayley kissed her, sending her off to dreamland. Hope had a scary day, but she got to see her dad! Epic win!

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Once the little girl was safely in bed, Caroline knew a long story would be coming from Hayley. She was behind on her soaps and this promised to be a doozy.

"Go down there four or five blocks. There's a park where you can get a drink."

Caroline pointed down the street. Joggers were always there. It was a steady blood supply since she didn't keep blood in the house with two curious three year olds.

"Do you have laundry that needs to be done?" She couldn't help but go into take-charge mode. It was her thing. The scent of cleaning products in the air was her Xanax.

There was also a hint of excitement in the air, even if she tempered it with caution for Mikaelson drama.

Hayley did have laundry after being on the road a few days. She brought in her bags. Caroline started a load while Hayley whooshed off to get blood, being discreet.

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Refreshed, Hayley was back. She accepted Caroline's offer of tequila and they returned to the back patio. It was cooler with the setting of the sun.

"What do you need from me?"

Caroline was insanely curious, but her priorities were the wonder twins, Josie and Lizzie, so she got down to the million dollar question.

"Can you watch Hope?" The alcohol burned down Hayley's throat. It felt good to actually take a breath and relax. "I have leads on two things, but it's getting harder for her to come along."

"No offense," Caroline started, which actually meant all the offense in the world, "but for how long? Three freaking years, Hayley." There was no way she'd kick Hope out, but was Hayley talking about years? What had Hayley been doing in those years again anyway? [Yes, a little voice inside her was saying that she would have done a much better job. Her judgy side was so hard to keep down, because it knew it was right.]

The question stung, but Hayley couldn't really blame her, not when taking responsibility for a child was a huge deal. "A few weeks, a month at the most."

When Hope walked into the house that first time, Caroline knew her answer. "I'll take her."

It was a huge relief. Hayley really didn't have friends. Rather, she had one or two friends who lived in the bayou outside New Orleans and others who were in a sleep state. Compulsion and kind people helped her get babysitters for short periods of time. Hope needed more though.

While Caroline wasn't her biggest fan, understatement of the century, Caroline was smart, ruthless, and reliable. With two daughters of her own and her deeply buried affection for Klaus, it was the best match. Plus she was out of the supernatural loop, yet a vampire. The combination was perfect. A trip to Mystic Falls got Hayley headed back in Caroline's direction.

"Thank you."

"Tell me everything."

Over the rest of the tequila bottle, Hayley filled Caroline in on the highlights: Marcel punishing Klaus for all his sins, Freya was a long lost Mikaelson- which blew Caroline's mind- and had been poisoned, Rebekah was hexed, Kol was back and bitten along with Elijah, and they were all linked to Klaus' life force who was not only dessicating, but being tortured by Papa Tunde's blade. Hayley was keeping a low profile to avoid Marcel who had to know Elijah hadn't been killed as his sirelings were still walking around.

Ouch. It all made Caroline wince.

Klaus had no idea she was there in New Orleans and she didn't know how close she was to him when he needed her. The big dummy! If she'd known while she was there, she would have…well, she had two little ones who needed safety at that time, so she'd have to be like Hayley and find a place to stash her kids and then go after him.

"Why not free Klaus and get his help?" It sounded like Hayley was leaving Klaus for last, but that could have been done right away. That's what Caroline would have done.

"I can't sneak in under Marcel's nose without help."

It didn't make enough sense for Caroline, but what was done was done. Hayley left town with a toddler and a van full of coffins. Caroline would rather have Klaus on her side rather than all of his siblings though. "What do you have?"

Hayley had the werewolf venom from 5 packs, including her own. There were 2 others she was working on. They had dispersed though after Lucien laid waste to most of them in his experiments. It was a matter of tracking down those who recently moved or who were a bit further removed in the family tree. Hayley had the herbs and spell to cure Freya, but didn't have the witch to put it together. She didn't have the cure for Rebekah's hex either. Since all the Mikaelsons were linked, they all needed to be cured when they were brought from their sleep state.

"Where are they?"

Caroline would be the only person who knew, but if something happened to Hayley, someone trustworthy had to know.

"Kentucky." Hayley gave Caroline the exact location where the coffins were hidden. They were in an abandoned coal mine. She always did well in rural areas.

"Leave it all to me," Caroline vowed. She would save his siblings and Klaus. Then he'd owe her big time.

"I'm not leaving it all to you."

"You need help," Caroline said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world…and it was.

"Help watching Hope." She leaned in. "Caroline, I've got this."

How much of that was Hayley's ego talking? Klaus was her baby daddy, but when did that make her his protector too? It got under Caroline's skin. She'd do almost anything for Alaric because of the girls, but she hadn't become his best friend or anything. Damon still had that title when he wasn't possessed by an ancient evil and remembered him.

Caroline's eye roll was massive, but she kept her mouth shut. Hayley didn't want her help, big surprise there, but there were 2 girls that didn't need their mom to leave for an extended amount of time too. Her mind whirred, seeing ways she could help without leaving until she absolutely had to. She always did like to make an entrance.

The thing was, it wasn't about helping Hayley at all.

It was about helping Klaus.

Why was her first thought to go get Voldemort? Wasn't he "Voldemort" because he should be avoided?

Umm, yeah, she needed to save thinking about that for another day.

"Where are you going now?" Caroline asked, keeping a lid on her emotions.

"To see Tyler."

Caroline's eyebrows shot up. "He didn't send you here? How did you find me?"

"I went to Mystic Falls since I knew that's where Tyler last was. I ran into Stefan. He mentioned you were in Dallas these days. He gave me your address." That set Hayley's plan in motion.

Her eyes narrowed. "Did you flirt with him too?" Wasn't that just freaking Hayley's way?

"I didn't need to," she deadpanned.

The laugh bubbled out of Caroline before she knew it, not exactly sure why it was funny. It made Hayley smile too. They had to put the past behind him, at least dropping the bitterness.

Hayley went first.

"I'm sorry," she said, sincere, "I was an idiot getting involved with Professor Shane and that mess." Having Hope, losing Jack…all of it changed Hayley. She was different, much more aware and empathetic of others. She needed Caroline and she could be the bigger person and apologize.

"Apology accepted." She could be gracious where appropriate… "I guess I'm sort of sorry for snapping your neck. Maybe." She grinned and Hayley laughed.

Hayley couldn't remember the last time someone other than Hope made her laugh. Adult company. Who knew?

"To no more neck snapping," Hayley offered as a toast.

"To no more chasing unavailable men," Caroline agreed, clinking glasses.

When Caroline lifted her glass to her lips and started to drink, Hayley added, "Klaus' available."

The desired effect was achieved.

Caroline choked and Hayley laughed, having a great time.

When she finished sputtering, Caroline moved the clear glass bottle away from Hayley. "You are a lightweight. Clearly." So much for that hybrid constitution.

"Why deny it? Klaus has a thing for you."

Two things struck her. 1. How awkward Hayley was trying to talk about guys with her. 2. Did he still? DID HE STILL?

"Is this your attempt at girl talk? Because it's pitiful." Caroline lifted a shoulder casually, or so she hoped. "He's had a thing for years."

"You're single. He's single." Teasing Caroline was a lot more fun than thinking about leaving Hope.

"He's a little busy rotting away. I bet he smells terrible."

Hayley smirked.

"Why are you even talking about us? Not that there is an 'us' I mean," she rambled, the alcohol loosening her tongue. Was she blushing? Nope. So what if Klaus!sex dreams were the best sex dreams? So what if she returned him to the top spot in her fantasy rotation when she found out he hadn't abandoned his daughter? [Bucky Barnes was high on the list. Alright, Falcon too. Black Widow joined them for special occasions. Shhhhh!]

Fantasizing about Klaus didn't mean she wanted to be with him. It just meant he was sexy and they had great sex. Better than great. Moving on…it was not what a healthy relationship was built on. Sure she wanted to get a little action, but nothing about Klaus was casual. It wasn't even a thing. She was in the Big D. He was in trouble.

"When I saw Stefan, we talked about the last time I saw him. He had a few interesting things to say about conversations he had with Klaus about you." Hayley learned a lot. The entire time she thought Klaus cared about Cami, this other blonde from his past was still in his head so much so that he saved Stefan's life and couldn't answer whether he was over Caroline or not.

So what if Caroline was doing a happy dance on the inside? Beyonce would be jealous of her moves.

[Note to self: Why was she happy about that again? It didn't make sense. Denial, you go girl! Block those thoughts!]

The silence killed her.

"Are you going to tell me what he said?"

"Nope," Hayley said, standing up. "I'm going to bed."

"Seriously?"

"Goodnight, Caroline."

The response was a grunt that made Hayley smile.


	4. Chapter 4

Hayley woke after a good night's sleep despite being in a small twin bed. The beds even had the protectors along the sides so the twins wouldn't accidentally fall out. At least Caroline's daughters weren't in toddler beds. [Since Caroline had to fill an empty house, she went with the ones they would grow into rather than ones that would have to be replaced in a few years. Plus the twin beds and twins? A match made in heaven. They could each jump on the beds together. The extra room was worth it in other words.] The other bed in the dim room was empty. Hope was already awake and up.

Thanking her hybrid constitution for not having a hangover, Hayley got dressed and joined them. Caroline was in a pretty pale green summer dress. Hope was in shorts and a colorful tank top. She was so beautiful and had been smiling ear to ear since she saw the pictures of her dad and met a friend of his.

"Hey."

"Hi Mom." Hope greeted her with a smile.

"Hi. Coffee?"

Hayley shook her head. Being addicted to caffeine wasn't good for their lifestyle. She couldn't always make stops, so better to avoid it all together. She did accept the blueberry muffin though.

"Hope, I need to go on a trip for a few days, but you're going to stay with Caroline. Ok?" Hayley occasionally found reliable help, via compulsion, for a few hours at a time but this would be her longest time away.

"How long?" Hope asked, unsure. She liked Caroline, but didn't know her and with only one parent, she wanted her around.

"I'll be back Friday." Hayley knew Hope would probably be in Dallas for a few weeks, but Hayley would only be gone for a few days before she returned and then left again. In other words, Hayley would be back and forth, but Hope would finally have something resembling a home base for at least a month…maybe more.

"I guess."

"We'll have fun," Caroline promised. Seeing the little girl down was a bummer, but Caroline would do everything she could for her. "Fun for little girls" was practically her middle name now. Well…and hard work. And organization. And drama. And style. And hilarious. And awesome. [You get it.]

Hayley squeezed Hope's hand. "You'll be great. I trust Caroline and you can trust her too." That was huge.

Then she looked at Caroline. "Tyler's in Manhattan?"

"Yeah."

"Can I use your computer?"

Caroline nodded and opened her laptop, clearing her browser history. Hey, a girl's browser history was her own. No judgement, please!

Hayley booked a flight leaving that night, returning Friday. She might not have what she needed, but her daughter needed her too. That's why it was taking so long.

"Do you two want to meet my crazy girls?" Caroline asked with a smile when Hayley finished breakfast. It was her idea for them to meet so Hope would be more comfortable with the upcoming stay.

"Yeah. Are you ready, mom?"

"I'm ready."

Caroline walked them down the street. Talk about convenient! She knocked and walked into Ric's house to yells of "Mommy's here!" It was the best way to be greeted. Hope walked in too, but Hayley had to wait until Ric invited her in, which he did.

"You look great, babies!" Josie was in red capris and a white shirt that had red flowers on it. Lizzie had on a blue skirt and green top. They could not be any cuter! Caroline covered them in hugs and kisses.

"Girls, do you want to meet my new friend Hope?"

Immediately, they focused on the new girl in their house as Hope stayed near her mom. The twins each wrapped themselves around one of Caroline's legs. "I know her mom and dad. She's going to stay with me, and us, for a little while."

"How come?" Josie asked, the bolder of the two.

"Her mom has to go on a trip. That's her mom right there. Her name is Hayley."

Lizzie had the follow up question. "Where's her Daddy?" When their mom left, the sisters still had their dad.

Caroline winced a little. "He's doing something very important for his family, but they're going to see him very soon."

The answer appeased all three kids.

"Hope, this is Josie," Caroline said, putting her hand on the brunette's head as Josie buried it in Caroline's hip. "Say hi, Josie."

"I'm being shy at you," Josie confessed to Hope, peeking at her.

Caroline and Alaric laughed. Hayley and Hope smiled.

"Me too," Lizzie said, copying her sister.

"This one here is Lizzie," Caroline said, introducing her, playing with the blonde hair on her head.

"I'm Hayley." The two girls focused on her. "This is my daughter Hope."

"Hi," Hope said, giving a shy wave. She hoped they liked her.

The girls checked each other out for a minute.

"We're this many," Josie said, wrangling her fingers to show three of them.

"Yeah, this many," Lizzie said, showing her fingers off more easily.

"I'm this many," Hope said, showing all five fingers.

"Whoa," Lizzie gasped, impressed, which made Caroline giggle.

Showing off fingers was apparently a greeting ritual for little ones.

"Hayley and Hope haven't been to Dallas before. Do you think we can show them around?"

Caroline's girls looked up at her with the same adorable smiles. They were in, such good troopers.

Hope was kind of excited too. The girls were littler than her, but it would be nice to have other kids to play with. Did they like to run, climb trees, and go to playgrounds too?

"Hope, this is Josie and Lizzie's dad. His name is Ric."

Alaric put his hand out and Hope gave him a high-five. She remembered him from the night before. "Hi Hope."

"Hi."

"Why don't you show Hope your room?"

It was a gold medal idea and they ran with it, showing Hope their things, not shy any longer.

"What's going on?" Alaric asked when it was just the adults.

Caroline and Hayley gave him the outline. Poisons and hexes were right up his alley. He was teaching folklore at SMU with great resources. Hayley got their cell phone numbers and vice versa. She sent Ric a photo of Rebekah's mark and what she'd been able to find out about it. He'd study it and see what he could find out about it and Freya's poison, excited by a new challenge, but thankful the challenge wasn't at his door, but in New Orleans. "This can't come back here," he told Caroline firmly who agreed. All the drama and danger had to stay out of Dallas. The Big D had become their safe haven and it was important to keep it that way for all of their sakes.

"Is anyone coming after her?" he asked Hayley, standing up straighter. Kids were off limits.

"No. I'm just being careful," Hayley told them, tucking hair behind her ear.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Ric asked Hayley. To him, the Mikaelsons being out of commission probably meant the world was a more peaceful place.

"Yes."

Caroline couldn't help but agree with Hayley, for um…reasons. "Girls, we have to get going."

Ending show and tell period wasn't cool and they made faces at Caroline when they trudged from their room.

"You're getting haircuts. Hope and Hayley are coming with us."

Ok. That was kind of cool.

"We'll come back again and you can show Hope more stuff."

That was very cool.

The kids were corralled into Caroline's SUV, the sisters in booster seats. While the twins were shy for about a minute, they already loved Hope and were happy she could sit between them. Caroline pointed out landmarks as they drove to the salon.

The twins were dynamic handfuls. Having to stop moving to actually get their hair cut was hard, but they loved admiring themselves in the mirror as Caroline oohed and aahed over them. [Yeah, that was Caroline's influence all over them.] They were hilarious. Moved by the moment, Hope got a little trim too, joining the fun. She was admired as well, hugging her mom after, feeling really good.

They went to the park, letting the girls run like mad. Hope was fast and loved the space. Josie was the really wild one, climbing anything she could see. Seriously, she should be a rock climber. Lizzie followed where they did, keeping up with her sister and new pal. Lizzie was the talker while Josie was the doer. Then they went to lunch.

On the way home, the girls came up with a list of things Hope had to experience in the Big D when Caroline asked them for ideas.

"Can we go to the zoo?"

"And the pool?" It was actually a wading pool. The girls loved splashing in it. Next summer they'd start swimming lessons.

"Those are excellent ideas."

"I don't have a bathing suit," Hope said, sad.

"That's because you're growing too fast," Hayley reminded her, which made her smile. It wasn't as if she'd never gone swimming before. She just needed a new one. "Will you pick one up, Caroline?"

"Aww, mom, can we?"

"Yeah, can we, Mommy?"

"Absolutely," Caroline agreed. No more hobo lifestyle for Hope Mikaelson and that meant she needed a new bathing suit.

The twins grinned at Hope. Mission accomplished for the wonder twins!

They began to flag though after showing off their room at Caroline's house. Thumbs started going in mouths. Their three year old motors only ran on high for so long. They were pooped.

Soon enough they had just enough energy to crawl up into their beds that Caroline had changed the sheets on.

Nap time for the dynamic duo!

In the living room, Hope sat with her head in Hayley's lap. Hayley stroked her head as Caroline and Hayley talked. Eventually she too caved to the cool, quiet afternoon and fell asleep.

Caroline gave Hayley Tyler's address. She also told her to probably avoid using Klaus' name. That was the smart move. [Yeah, an understatement.] Hayley also showed Caroline the items she'd collected. Caroline winced when she saw the poor labeling and vowed to make that right before hiding the bag in her attic for safekeeping. [Seriously. Where was Hayley's label maker?] Seeing all of it, Caroline was energized to take this project on. While she might have to stay in the Big D for now, that didn't mean she wouldn't get Klaus that much closer to being freed. It had become her mission.

It was a professional challenge.

That's what she told herself over and over, unable to sleep well the night before, torn by thoughts of Klaus suffering and possibly the very good idea that she should leave the drama to the Mikaelsons. Nope, she was in- crazy or not.

"Thank you," Hayley said again, smiling at her sleeping daughter. Hope would be active and well taken care of in Dallas with Caroline. "She's really curious about Klaus," Hayley said. "Tell her what you know, will you? Well not anything bad." Then she paused. "If anything happens to me…"

How had she turned into Hayley's confidante so quickly? "You'll be fine. Klaus will be too. If I need a sledgehammer to get him out, I'll go to the Home Depot right now. This Marcel dude doesn't know what I look like."

Hayley smirked. It may come down to that. Having Caroline and Alaric help with this in their own way was a bonus she didn't think she'd ever get. She'd been on her own for so long, but they already had ideas and resources she didn't.

Since Caroline's brain was always working on a plan, she was thinking about the near-term future for the kids too. She offered and Hayley agreed to sign Hope up for the library program the girls would be going to too. It was a few hours a day the following week. It would be good for Hope to socialize and get out of the house. They registered her online, using the name Hope Kenner. Caroline didn't know why and Hayley didn't get a chance to explain. Caroline was even thinking about kindergarten too. Dallas might be home for Hope for a few months. Caroline was going to make them as awesome and "normal" as possible. It was exactly what she expected from Klaus if she needed to go to him for her babies!

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.

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While Caroline, Hayley, and the three kids were becoming friendly, the man they were interested in saving was in outrageous pain. Over and over, his head was filled with hallucinations of new betrayals and memories of real-life betrayals throughout the centuries.

It wasn't only the betrayals of Lucien, Marcel, and Aurora that clouded his head.

Those he considered allies through time also betrayed him in his hallucinations. They taunted him with peeks of freedom before the door was slammed shut. Those hurt the most. People he truly cared for turned their backs on him.

Physically and emotionally, it was pain only the likes of which he experienced when he had the Hunter's Mark.

It felt pitiful to ask for such a confidant man, but would anyone save him?


	5. 5

Saying goodbye to Hayley was really hard for Hope. She was the one constant.

Even the twins picked up on the tension, each one holding one of Caroline's legs when they found a place in the terminal to say goodbye.

Subtly, Hayley put something in Caroline's hand.

When she saw it, Caroline's eyes popped wide open.

Come to mama!

Yes!

"For expenses," Hayley said as Caroline stared at the honking diamond in her palm. Light that hit the facets sent rays of colors reflecting on her palm. It was gorgeous and huge!

"Caroline, stop staring."

"Oh right," she said with a grin, no shame.

"Can we see?" Lizzie asked, up on her tip toes, pulling on her mom's arm. Her girls had the best taste. She was raising them right.

Caroline bent so that they and Hope could get a good look, turning it into a learning experience…or something. "It's a shiny rock and if someone asks you to marry them, it's probably best if the ring has a rock in it this big."

Hayley snorted.

Once they examined it, Caroline stashed it in a zippered pocket of her bag.

"They stash them in their homes," Hayley explained. She'd gotten some at the Mystic Falls mansion. It's how she funded her travels, starting with ones from the New Orleans compound.

"Good to know."

The twins were pretty good at finding Easter eggs. This year was their best ever. She should set them loose and see what they could find. Diamond hunting would be so much fun.

"Hope," Hayley said, "I've got to go now." She put her hands on Hope's shoulders, squatting. "Be good for Caroline. Listen to her, ok?" She swiped hair behind her daughter's ears. "Your haircut looks really good." That made her sort of smile. "I'll be back in three days. It will be late when I land tonight, but I'll call tomorrow. I'll always have my phone so you and Caroline can call me. Love you, peanut." She pulled her in for a big hug and kiss. "Have fun."

"Love you, Mommy," Hope said, starting to cry.

That had the twins squeezing Caroline's hands hard, anxious.

"See you Friday, Caroline." Hayley gently broke Hope's embrace and wiped her tears. "I can't wait to hear about what you get up to." Hope sniffed as Hayley gave her another kiss. "Bye, girls." Hayley waved and they stared at her as she left.

Caroline reached in and not sure if Hope would be ok with it, she picked her up and held her. She was touchy-feely and she'd see if Hope would accept it.

Hope did, wrapping her arms around Caroline's neck, crying.

"It's ok. It's just a few days and you're so brave." It really sucked a 5 year old had to be brave though, didn't it? "We'll call her tomorrow." Caroline cooed soothing words to her. "You can ask me whatever you want about your dad."

The girls were on the verge of their own tears.

After Hope was a little more settled, Caroline set her down. Her eyelashes were spiky from her tears and her cheeks were flushed. Caroline looked at all three of them, broaching a touchy subject. "It's hard when moms leave, right?"

They nodded, knowing it well.

"But Mommys like Hayley and like me always come back," she promised, giving each of them a serious look, leaning in to hug Hope again. She was serious too. Leaving the twins behind while she chased after a guy and a different life was dumb, but it was hopefully the end in a too-long pattern of dumb moves. She wouldn't leave them again, not with no set return. They were her babies and they were all together a package deal. Any new guy would have to accept that.

"There, there," Lizzie said, patting Hope's back, so empathetic. Then Josie hugged Hope, which got Lizzie to join their 4 way hug.

"Uh oh. Twin hug!"

Hope was unable to resist and smiled at that.

"Twin hugs are the best hugs. Thanks, babies."

They smiled, happy to help. Caroline leaned down and kissed them. They were so freaking cute!

"Nothing is better than a twin hug, but there's something else that makes me feel pretty good," Caroline teased, ready to distract them.

They took the bait like the excited 3 and 5 year olds they were.

"Girls, we're going shopping."

.

.

.

Shopping with 3 little ones was an adventure. First they fought over who got to hold Hope's hand as they left the airport. When that battle was won, the other twin got to hold Hope's hand at Target. They were a sight with Caroline in the center, a twin holding each of her hands, and one of them holding onto Hope so they didn't get separated. Being the center of attention was a great distraction for Hope, although the girls were entranced as soon as they saw things they wanted and needed.

After playing around trying on sunglasses which was hilarious, Caroline bought two air mattresses and more sheets. Hope would be set up in Caroline's spare bedroom/office. Hayley would use the other air mattress when she was back in town wherever she could find room for it. As promised, Hope got an awesome bathing suit. Caroline got her clothes, shoes, and new flip flops unable to resist getting some for the girls as well. Since they handled everything really well, they each got to pick 2 new toys too. One was educational and the other was totally fluffy- like Barbie outfits. Klaus' treat!

"Do you want to see my Daddy?" Hope asked when they got back home.

"Yeah!"

To satisfy them, Caroline found the yearbook page again after she stashed their new things.

Of course, the twins oohed and aahed. Figures.

"He's cute."

"Yeah, he's cute."

Klaus was conquering the under 5 set one photo at a time.

"Mommy, that's you."

"That's me," she confirmed, showing them other pictures of herself in the yearbook, but they wanted to go back to the page with Klaus. Again, figures.

Then Hope asked about the web page and Caroline brought that one up too, unable to turn her down.

More cooing from her girls.

Seriously?

Lizzie looked at Hope. "He has the things on his face too."

Caroline tipped her head to the side. "What things, baby?"

Josie understood her sister and moved her fingers to her cheeks. "These things."

"His dimples?" Caroline cracked up. "His are pretty awesome and Hope does have great ones. They're so beautiful."

Hope grinned and they looked at her dimples, making her giggle.

"You guys have them too. Little, bitty adorable ones," she told them, poking their little dimples.

Moving on from checking out Klaus, yeah that was actually a thing they all did…for like a freakishly long time, and after dinner, Caroline put in a movie for them so she could set up Hope's makeshift room and label the things in Hayley's bag. It was Frozen for the millionth time. Hearing them sing Let It Go was so cute. Ok, maybe she belted it out a few times herself too.

All three were cozy in their pajamas sitting on the couch when the movie began. Josie had her thumb in her mouth. Hope was of course in the middle. Lizzie was tucked into the arm of the couch, holding a stuffed duck, her favorite.

"I don't know this one."

Hope couldn't have said anything more shocking and Josie and Lizzie practically got whiplash to look at her.

"What?"

"Yeah, what?"

"Seriously?" Caroline asked, pausing the movie.

Hope shrugged and Caroline felt bad that they made it a big deal. The poor girl was obviously out of some loops. The Nell reference popped up in her head again, almost making her laugh out loud. "Will she love it?" she asked her daughters.

They nodded seriously.

"It's our very best favorite," Josie told her, also very seriously, before tucking her thumb back in her mouth.

"Uh huh," Lizzie agreed.

"It's a movie about sisters," Caroline told Hope.

"I wish I had a sister," Hope said, jealous of the twins who always had a built in best friend around. It would be nice to have someone to play with all the time.

"Me too," Caroline said, giving her a gentle smile. "Having a sister is pretty awesome." The twins smiled at each other. "But you know what else is special? Having really good friends. You can't pick your family and not everyone gets awesome ones like we do, but you can pick your friends." She gave them a look and pointed at them. "You can't pick your noses either."

The girls cracked up as if it was the funniest thing they'd ever heard.

Caroline knew it was the truth though, that best friends were awesome. Her immediate family was all gone and she was no longer as close to Bonnie or well, Sleeping Beauty aka Elena Gilbert, but she'd still run if they needed her. Alaric had become a solid friend and the twins became her family, but um, that was kind of unusual.

"We'll be your really good friends," Lizzie offered to Hope and Caroline couldn't be more proud. Who wouldn't want to be best friends with her babies?

"Yeah, we will," Josie agreed with a nod, just as soft-hearted as her sister.

"I'll be your really good friends too," Hope promised, using their new lingo.

They hugged in the middle of the couch and Caroline knew she witnessed something special there. They were all so sweet and unjaded. [She'd try to recall that the next time they had an epic meltdown in public while her hands were full.] The moment was pure and beautiful. Raising her little girls into kickass women, using herself as example if she could, was her top priority, other than keeping them safe and healthy of course. Seeing them being kind and generous was the best feeling.

Less than 12 hours and best friends made. Go girls!

Caroline had the best kids ever, a decent job with an idea for a small business, and she'd just like to add that special someone to share her moments with. Where was the man who would enjoy the moment in front of her just as much? Where was the man who would pour the wine as she tested her business plan on him? Where was the guy whose life she could micro-manage? Where was the man she could give her heart to?

"Let me get a photo of all your awesomeness and cuteness this minute," Caroline yelped, jumping up to get her phone. "I am so proud of each one of you. Smile!"

The three grins were captured on her camera.

"I'll be your really good friend too, Hope," Caroline told her seriously, not sure Hope had an adult in her life other than her mom she could rely on. "You can count on me."

Hope gave her a shy smile that was 100% Klaus Mikaelson.

Seeing it gave Caroline a twinge. It was a beautiful smile, but could Klaus count on her?

The question ran through her brain quickly. The answer? It came just as quickly.

Yes. Yes of course. They might not totally be friends, but they weren't not exactly friends either. Klaus definitely didn't deserve her friendship at first. He'd been horrible to her and the people she loved. It wasn't ok, but while she never forgot, she understood him better the more she got to know him. She also told him the steps of friendship.

Step 1: Show me I can trust you.

Yeah, Klaus nailed that one. There was a reason she trusted him to keep Stefan safe. There was a reason she ran to Klaus with her girls too. She trusted him.

What was Step 2?

Be supportive? Klaus was that.

Be available? He wasn't at the moment.

Be unjudgemental? Well, she had to rule that one out. Firstly because she was the judgiest judge who ever judged. Secondly because Klaus was judgy too, although he hid it slightly better than her.

While Step 2 deserved attention so she could figure it out, what she did know is that while she might have to use shortcuts because of the cuteness in front of her, she'd rescue his ass. [What an ass it was!]

"What about us, Mommy?"

"What?" Caroline gasped dramatically, which made them laugh.

A tickle campaign was launched on all three of them. "I'm your Mommy and your best friend forever, just like Hayley is Hope's Mom and BFF. I'm going to be Hope's really good friend too! You can't stop me!"

When they were giggled out, Caroline restarted the movie.

Of course, Hope loved the movie and all was right again in the world of the Saltzman twins. [There had been no long lasting disturbance in the Force.]

Soon enough, three little ones were snug in their beds. That's when Caroline stashed the bag with Hayley's recovered items in the attic and started a freelance article.

Looking at her phone after Hayley sent a text confirming her arrival in New York, Caroline looked at the picture of the girls. 3 and 5. Totally adorbs with their haircuts, clean faces, and super cute pajamas.

If Hope didn't have pictures of him, Klaus probably didn't have any pictures of her either. Hayley didn't strike her as the insane photographer type that she, and especially Alaric, were. She probably didn't scrapbook either. [Her loss! Using the specialty scissors to get a scalloped edge on a photo was a rare treat.] Caroline decided to take pictures of Hope for Klaus. She was sure Klaus would appreciate it.

In her bed later, she wondered how he would exactly show his appreciation.

This was gonna be good. She practically rubbed her hands together in glee.

By giving her the Big D?

She giggled, but it was true. So far, Klaus was the Big D.

Thoughts of the Big D seduced her into a hot and sweaty sleep. Thanks, Klaus! She meant, thanks, He Who Shall Not Be Named!

.

.

.

Over the next few days, Caroline was a busy bee. They showed Hope the wading pool and the zoo. She was a treat, getting along like another pea in the pod with her girls. Ric watched Hope too when Caroline went to the newspaper office, which was really generous of him. Caroline also sold the diamond, compelling the dealer to give her a fair deal. The good news? She wrote a blog post about the jewelry store having a great selection AND her bank account had a few extra zeros. Not bad. Hayley called every day for updates. Caroline even brought Hope to the library, telling her she was going the following week for a few hours a day, just like the twins. She was excited when she saw the projects they would be doing and books they would be reading. She was signed up for her very first library card with her name on it! Unable to resist, Caroline asked Hope questions and found out that Hope could read! Caroline was impressed and told her Klaus would be so proud. Yeah, Hope's hero worship was in full effect.

Having to talk about Klaus so much was super weird. It had been 3 years since she had spoken to him on the phone. It had been even longer since she saw him in the flesh. [Oh the flesh she saw!]

Yeah, he had beautiful blue eyes.

Yes, his dimples were world class.

Yes, he was charming. It oozed from him and generally things that oozed were gross.

Yes, he had a British accent.

Yes, his paintings were beautiful and yeah, his drawing of her made her gasp even if she didn't want to think anything good of him when she got it. [No, she couldn't show it to Hope because she was a dip and shredded it.]

Yes, he always wore necklaces.

Yes, he was a good dancer.

Yes, he was a talented artist.

Yes, he was closest to Elijah and Rebekah.

Yes, he loved the finer things in life.

Yes, he charmed her and made her laugh.

Yes. Yes Yes.

"Will he like me?" Hope asked one day after asking about Klaus again.

Caroline knelt in front of her, looking right into those vulnerable blue eyes. Did Klaus have those same open and trusting eyes when he was 5? The thought made Caroline's heart pinch. "He already loves you. He loves you," she repeated, holding Hope's hands. "He more than likes you. You're his daughter, his baby. When I last talked to him, I could hear how proud of you he was in his voice. He offered me some of the clothes you outgrew to the girls." Hope's eyes lit up. It was a concrete example of something that tied her to her dad, Caroline, and even the twins! "You're awesome. He loves you so much even if he can't be here right now. You'll have to get to know him all over again, but I know you can do it because you're you and he's him and you're family."

Then she pulled Hope in for a fierce hug, plotting how to kick Klaus' ass if he wasn't the absolute best father in the freaking world! It was probably too much to ask of an overgrown [really charming and smart and talented] baby, but it was time he grew up and tapped into that human self he kept hidden. Even Voldemort started as a human!

"I just met you a few days ago and I love you," she told Hope and it was true.

"I love you too, Caroline," Hope told Caroline and it was true too.

To Hope's delight, Caroline made copies of the photos of Klaus. She carefully put the copies into her pink backpack with her other prized possessions.

Before they knew it, it was Friday and Hayley was on her way home.

"Hope and I are going to pick up Hope's mommy."

That earned a round of applause. That Hope's mom was coming back, which would make Hope so happy, made the girls really happy too. She was their new really good friend. Plus moms shouldn't go too long without their daughters in their experienced opinion.

"Bye, baby. Bye, baby." Caroline pressed kisses to her daughters' chubby cheeks. They smiled, used to the affection. "I love you so much and I love you so much."

Hope waved to them, her buddies. "Bye, Lizzie. Bye, Josie. See you tomorrow." Being able to say that was really cool. "Bye Ric."

"Bye, Hope!"

"Bye, Hope!"

"Bye, Hope!" Ric repeated with a smile as Caroline and Hope opened the door and left.

Hayley and Hope reuniting was pretty great Caroline had to admit. The ride home was filled with Hope's stories of what Caroline told her about Klaus and about Dallas. It was an extended version of their phone conversations in other words.

At Caroline's house, Hope showed her mom all her new things, her clothes, toys, books and the photos of her Daddy!

Hope looked down. "I don't know we can take them all when we go."

It hurt Caroline that Hope would ever have to think such a thing, not being able to have a few more possessions of her own. It hurt Hayley too. It wasn't a room packed with excessive things either.

"Hope, if you can't take these things with you…and I know there will be more…you can leave them here. I will keep them safe until you can come back and get them any time," Caroline promised fiercely. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Really?"

"I promise."

That got a smile until she thought of something else. "Do we have to leave now, Mommy?" Dallas was cool. Well, it was hot, but you know what she meant. They didn't usually get to spend time in cities where there were so many people and things to do. Usually they ended up in more rural areas which wasn't bad. She had 2 new really good friends now though, make it 3 with Caroline!

"No, honey," Hayley said, seeing that their nomad lifestyle was losing its glamour, "we're going to stay here longer." Hope gave her a hug and Hayley stroked her hair. "I have to leave again, but not for a few days and it will be another short trip. Caroline will watch you. Do you like it here?"

"A lot," she replied. Her mom leaving again wasn't cool, but having the stability of Dallas and Caroline was very cool.

Leaving Hayley and Hope to reconnect after their time apart, Caroline brought her laptop out to her back patio. It was shaded and she got to work. She finished her newspaper assignment, sending it to her editor hours before it was due. [Suck it, deadlines!] She even finished a routine freelance article too. [Who was nailing life again?]

Earlier she'd made an enchilada casserole and enjoyed it outside. Then she painted her toenails fire engine red. Josie chose it. Once again, her girls had the best taste.

While her toes dried, she worked on her blog and made lists of places she wanted to visit. Plus she updated her to-do list.

The opening of her sliding glass door alerted her to her guest. Hayley brought out 2 glasses and a fresh bottle of tequila.

"I figured Klaus paid for it," she said and Caroline smirked. Yeah. He did. Klaus' treat! "Hope's asleep."

"She's really great, Hayley." It was shocking considering her mom, dad, and cray-cray life, but Hope was awesome. She melted down once of course, but Caroline would have worried she was possessed if she hadn't.

Hayley knew Hope was a good girl, but it was nice to hear it from someone else. Raising her daughter was the most important thing and while she might not be mom of the year, Hope was surviving and thriving.

As Hayley poured, Caroline showed Hayley the webpage she'd pulled up.

"You need to enroll her in kindergarten."

Hayley sighed as she sat down. It's not the conversation she was expecting.

Caroline got on her very high horse that she was especially fond of, although if those missing cowboys showed up she'd be riding them instead. "I get you were into that hobo lifestyle, but she's 5. Dallas is safe. She needs to be in school."

"I don't know we'll be here in a month," Hayley hedged, letting the hobo comment go. Hope growing up meant she needed different things. Agreeing to kindergarten meant agreeing to Big D too, didn't it?

"Umm…three years," Caroline reminded her with a massive roll of her eyes. Hayley wasn't exactly The Flash. She was more like The Pokey Little Puppy. "I'm pretty awesome and Ric is good. Things will move faster, but you'll probably be here in a month. School starts in two weeks anyway." She leaned in, earnest. "It's good for her. She needs it. She'll make friends. She'll have a routine, responsibility, goals, especially if you're going to be gone."

Caroline gave her another look. "Dallas can be your home base for a little while. Also Hayley, if you free them, it doesn't mean you automatically pick up and move, re-starting a war in New Orleans, which by the way is really quiet since I was just there." It's not like the national news was covering New Orleans in the grips of a serial killer vampire or anything. New Orleans was apparently fine except for Klaus being trapped and his siblings being comatose. "It doesn't mean she shouldn't get to go to school here or at least start here. School starts in two weeks," she repeated. Was her "duh" getting through to the other woman?

Caroline might be secretly fond of a Mikaelson, but they often thought the world revolved around them and it didn't. Hope was a Mikaelson too and maybe they could revolve around her for once. Her life was ridiculous for them through no fault or choice of her own! She was the coolest one of them anyway.

Hayley downed her glass. "I don't want her to change schools a lot." That would be hard on Hope. She was so little. She still had her baby teeth.

"Duh, so don't make her change schools a lot. Commit to the year and if something crazy happens, which it probably will, deal with it." Her voice softened because while she believed she was right, double duh, she knew it had to be Hayley's choice. "Your life is crazy, but hers doesn't have to be. Not now. Not here."

The truth came out. "I thought we'd be back in New Orleans by now."

Caroline would wrestle King Kong and Godzilla…together…one handed…in mud…oohhh or vervain…to be at the twins' first day of school. Klaus would miss Hope's and that sucked, but Hope's life couldn't be put on pause the way Klaus and his siblings's lives had been. It didn't work that way.

"It's home."

"Is it?" Caroline asked, having had the same conversation with herself not that long ago. "Isn't home where your baby is?"

Check.

Mate.

"Fine, Forbes. You win. I'll sign her up for kindergarten."

Caroline gave a triumphant smile. "You have an appointment Monday at 10am. You're welcome," she chirped.

Hayley had to laugh, refilling their glasses. Caroline was a terrier, but she was an advocate for Hope and that was a good thing.

Caroline didn't want Hayley to stay in Dallas because they'd suddenly become BFFs and it didn't have to be Dallas, but Hope needed to be someplace to call home. It was the right choice. Hayley knew it too.

What followed was Hayley filling Caroline in on how it went with Tyler. He waited until she had to leave to go to the airport before he finally told her where there were members of the elusive Malraux pack. Tyler wasn't a bad guy, but there was a lot of apologizing and groveling for both Hayley and Tyler to do before he would give her the information. He didn't buy the story she gave him, but saw the desperation on her face and told her what he knew.

"I'll leave Tuesday," she decided. She could see Hope off to her first day of library school and enroll her in kindergarten before she had to go.

"Where?"

"Southern Indiana."

The women used the laptop for Hayley to book her flight. Hayley had her own laptop and credit card assigned to a bogus address. Hair was tucked behind her ear. "I'll come back on Friday again."

Caroline called up a map. "That's not far from the coffins," she noticed. Southern Indiana and Kentucky were much, much closer than Manhattan and Dallas. "Josie and Lizzie have dance class tomorrow. I'm getting highlights," she said, going through the minutia of her day. "After that I'm going to visit a witch Alaric knows. I'm going to see if he'll put the ingredients together for Freya's antidote." Before going into hibernation, Freya had just enough time to leave Hayley a list of ingredients to get and she had gotten them. It was finding the correct spell and getting someone to perform it that had been the problem. Alaric worked backwards from the ingredients and found the spell pretty quickly. It was a very encouraging sign.

Caroline got excited, seeing an opportunity. "You can deliver it to Freya while you're there." She'd remain asleep, but be healed.

"One step closer," Hayley said, seeing real progress.

"One step," Caroline agreed, clinking their glasses.


	6. 6

"After I visit the witch you're coming out with me. Ric will watch the girls," Caroline said, feeling like she was nailing life once again. Go girl! Sunday would include lunch with the family, grocery shopping, laundry, and more writing.

"Where?"

Shoulders were shimmied and words were sung, "You can find me in the club, bottle full of bub, Momma I got what you need."

Hayley was not moved by the stellar performance. "Why?"

"Research." Umm, why didn't Hayley think she was as awesome at singing/rapping as she clearly was?

"For what?"

"For your information, Debbie Downer, it's for my blog. It's important to have a diverse base. My readers want to know about clubs and there are new ones I haven't been to. Plus," she said with a sniff at having to explain herself, "I'm in search of the Big D."

Hayley snorted.

Caroline sat up. That night she was wearing an Agent Carter tank and panty set. [Her backyard was private. Having to mow the lawn sucked, but she exchanged chores with Alaric and he did it for her.] She got it at Target with the girls. It was cute and Peggy Carter kicked ass too. Peggy didn't need superhero skills, but had the brains and skills to deal with them. Go girl! [How she resisted one Bucky Barns, Caroline did not know. Well she did. Peggy was in love with Captain America. Duh.] Caroline liked novelty pajamas when she wasn't *cough, cough* entertaining. She also had lacy frilly camisole and panty sets when she was feeling extra feminine. The scandalous stuff was saved for boyfriends. Hmm, what was having one like again? It had been so long. "Like you don't need a man. We're dead, but we're not _dead_."

It was a hot night in July. Curls were forming at her temples. While the sun had gone down, it was still muggy.

Oh Big D.

"It's been too long," Caroline mourned, pressing the cold glass against her pulse point. Alcohol and blood assuaged her need to get it on, but it was still there under the surface. The question was- how long did she fight it? That Denial was putting up a strong fight once again.

"Yeah," Hayley agreed.

"Three…" they both started…finishing at the same time.

"Months."

"Years."

"What?!"

"What?!"

They stared at one another.

"Klaus?" Caroline snapped, eyes huge, leaning in.

"Eww no," Hayley scoffed. "It was ten minutes one time and I got pregnant."

Ten minutes?

Ten minutes!

TEN MINUTES!

Caroline started to laugh and laugh. Tears streamed from her eyes as she doubled over with laughter.

Klaus spent ten minutes just laving the sensitive spot behind her left knee!

He might have made her come that way. She wasn't sure since it felt like one orgasm rolled into the next. He Who Shall Not Be Named had mad bedroom skills.

"Good times," she sighed when she calmed down. It wasn't as good as sex, but laughing that hard felt really good.

Hayley didn't get the joke. [Haha! Hahahahahahahahaha.] "What's so funny?"

Caroline grinned, loving life, and shrugged, taking another sip. "Nothing."

"I'm definitely not telling you what Stefan said about Klaus then."

Immediately, Caroline went into a pout Josie and Lizzie would have been jealous and/or proud of.

It was Hayley's turn to smirk. Caroline was so easy to provoke. It was so refreshing!

"So who was it then?" Caroline asked, always nosy, determined to get the Voldemort scoop at a later time.

There was a sip taken before Hayley answered. "Elijah."

"Boo! No! Not the brother. Never the brother."

There was a secret sense of satisfaction gained from Hayley's revelation. Klaus would never, ever, ever, ever go back to Hayley, not after she got with his brother.

[Yup. We are never, ever, ever getting back together, was stuck in her head now.]

Also wait. He was He Who Shall Not Be Named and shouldn't be thought about in a possessive way. Right?

Shoot!

"It's messy," Hayley agreed, staring into her glass. She wasn't sure why she was sharing with Caroline…but she was. Caroline knew the people she was talking about for the most part. She was a fellow mom. She also already judged her, so why not actually relax and tell the truth? When was the last time she was able to tell someone something, anything really honest about herself? Years. It had been years. Not only did she deny herself sex in the three years Elijah was hidden away, but she denied herself intimacy in any form, even open conversations. "I was married."

Caroline gasped dramatically. Things were getting good!

"He was a wolf named Jackson Kenner."

"Ooohh," Caroline whispered. That's where "Hope Kenner" came from.

"We got married to unite the pack, make it stronger, but he knew me when I was a kid." That meant a lot to her.

"Was he cute?" [Yes, Caroline was a journalist, asking the hard-hitting questions first.]

"He was gorgeous." It hurt to talk about Jackson, but he was a good man who deserved to be remembered and talked about. In fact, not talking about him was a shame and she'd stop being afraid of it. "He was a really great guy. He loved me and I loved him…but I didn't _love_ him. You know?"

"I know."

"He was so good to Hope. He loved her. He was soft in all the ways Klaus doesn't know how to be with her. He had principles and looked out for his people. He would have done anything for Hope and for me."

Caroline smiled. That was beautiful. Jackson sounded like the ideal family man.

Hayley took another sip. "As soon as any Mikaelson drama popped up, and it never stays buried for long in New Orleans, I was back in the middle. I couldn't stay away…even when I didn't need to be there."

"The excitement?"

"Maybe? There were probably a lot of reasons." She should probably figure them out so she didn't repeat it. Her fingers played with the glass. "I don't know if I felt like I had to prove myself…or if it was Elijah." That was her ugly truth. "Jack got killed."

Caroline frowned, sad she didn't get to meet this guy.

"It had nothing to do with him. I dragged him into it and watched as his heart was ripped out." Hayley gave a humorless laugh, finished her glass and refilled it, Caroline's too. "He deserved better. He deserved better than me."

"He loved you."

"He did." She shrugged. Fat lot of good it did him. "I was so guilty and ashamed. I still am," she admitted, catching Caroline's eye, showing those same emotions as clear as day.

Hayley was riddled with guilt, guilt about Jack, guilt about Elijah, guilt about Hope not knowing her dad, and guilt about how long it was taking her to free them. It was paralyzing at times. She pushed through it because no one else would, but it was hard, so hard, and no one knew it. No one except Caroline now.

Caroline knew something about guilt and shame surrounding what she did when her humanity was off and when she left Dallas.

"I stayed away from Elijah until I didn't. We got together and within a day he was bitten." She lifted her hand in an ironic toast.

That was certainly enough to have Hayley put off men, Caroline figured, but for three years and counting? "How come no one since?"

Hayley thought about it of course. She'd come across a variety of wolves. They were young and alive and didn't come with a host of issues. They were the anti-Mikaelsons. "We were always moving. I had Hope with me." She smirked. "Plus Hope keeps asking about Klaus. That's a turnoff."

Caroline laughed.

Thinking and talking about Klaus got Caroline hot and irritated in equal measure, not turned off.

Bad attitude. Remember his bad attitude and evil, careless ways.

But he could be romantic and sweet.

"What about you?"

Caroline was thankful to leave the Voldemort debate for another time. "I got engaged to someone I didn't love, but I didn't marry him."

"Stefan?" He didn't mention that in Mystic Falls, but maybe he was keeping it secret? Hayley had no idea what had been going on with Caroline other than what Stefan told her. Somehow Caroline had dealt with a forced, unbelievable pregnancy and took it in stride. That took something special, someone special. Hayley admired her for how she'd dealt with all of it.

"No, I loved him, but it was actually Alaric. I was going to do it for the girls. It was going to be a business transaction I guess."

"That's dumb."

"Thank you, Hayley," she snipped, making Hayley smile. "After I had the twins, Stefan had to leave town. The woman who chased him to New Orleans wasn't going to stop. He had to keep running. We were together, but he decided for us and without telling me that I should stay with the girls and he'd leave. I got over it, because I couldn't leave them. He was right." She shrugged. "I ended up with a fiancé I didn't love, I guess to fill in that something that was missing. Then Stefan came back."

Hayley listened, seeing more and more all the time beneath the bubbly blonde exterior. In Dallas, Caroline was a lot more easy-going than Hayley remembered, yet her kitchen cabinets were perfectly organized. There were lists all over the place and everything was labeled. On the other hand, she was also wearing cartoon pajamas sipping tequila. Caroline somehow found a way to navigate between her need to control and her inability to actually control life.

"He was in trouble again and it was exciting." The adrenaline high was awesome. "I broke it off with Alaric and jumped back in with Stefan. It didn't work for all the same reasons it really didn't work the first time. Leaving Josie and Lizzie behind was awful and I feel guilty about that." She sighed, but she was healing and she was alive, well sort of. [Vampire humor is hilarious, am I right?] "Here I am hot, single, and ready to mingle."

"And going clubbing."

"Yes. It's research," she whined. "I want to drink and dance and dress up." The 3 sacred Ds! "It's perfectly normal. I'm 24. What are you? 26?"

When's the last time she felt 26? Hayley felt 76. Clubbing wasn't her thing. [She also didn't think "teen drama" was her thing, but got pregnant at 19 and became involved with a crazy family with all the drama in the world. Whoops. Yeah, she really should have thought more before she spoke in those days. She finally leaned that lesson.] She had a lot of responsibilities, but one night? One night to let off some steam? One night to be 26? One night to do something Caroline asked of her? "We're not friends who go clubbing, are we?"

"Absolutely not," Caroline scoffed.

That's exactly what she wanted to hear. "Alright. I'll go."

Caroline cheered, refilling their glasses. "I know Klaus is suffering and we're drinking, but if you won't let me go get him right now, I have to be patient. We have to be patient," she corrected. Not getting to Klaus faster was bothering her more and more. Denial, your time to shine!

There was also a big rational part of her brain that knew Hayley would have a better time with wolves than she would. At least that's how she rationalized it for now. "It's not my job to punish Klaus and of course," she drawled with a huge grin, "if I get in trouble I expect Klaus to come get me ASAP, but he's strong and kind of a hot, sexy douchebag who probably smells right now." Hayley smirked at Caroline's speech. "By tomorrow, Freya should be set. Ric's working on Rebekah's mark and you're tracking another pack. I've got 2 babies, sometimes I babysit a third, 2 jobs, and a blog. We'll get the Mikaelsons." She gave Hayley a huge smile. "This is gonna be good."


	7. 7

The following day Caroline was productive in the ways she liked to be. She gave Hayley a spare key since she was accidentally living with her. How did that even happen again?

Anywhoo…

"I have to run errands, but I'll see you two later. Have fun." Caroline waved goodbye to Hayley and Hope.

Driving one minute down the street, her baby girls climbed all over her when she found them. "Hi, baby. Hi, baby. Ready for dance?" Kisses were given.

"Dance party!" Josie yelled, cracking Caroline up as the two showed off their moves, bouncing around, doing a lot of spins. Yes, they were ready in their leggings and T-shirts. Caroline had to wrestle them one at a time to put their hair up. They were too cute!

"Save some of that energy for class," Ric joked as he said goodbye. Every time they did something new, Ric had Caroline to share it with, but it reminded him of Jo. They were her kids and she'd been robbed of the chance to see them excited for dance class. Death sucked.

He was going to visit his office at school. He hadn't been there since the semester ended and his own classes would begin shortly. How many times would he have to mow Caroline's yard to get her to organize his office? Plus, there was a book he wanted to look in regarding Rebekah's mark.

"You don't mind watching Hope tonight?" Caroline asked as they buckled the kids into their booster seats.

"She's exactly the opposite of her father…always welcome," he said with a smirk, making Caroline roll her eyes.

"Bye, Ric."

"Bye, Daddy."

"Bye, Daddy."

Caroline got her troops to class and while they were learning their routine, she got her hair highlighted.

In the Big D, the answer was more.

Always more blonde highlights. More, more, more.

The salon was nice and they certainly knew how to get that Texas blonde look, but they made Caroline wait too long before she got to the stylist in her opinion. It would go on her blog.

.

.

.

"Hey Hope," Hayley said, getting her attention. Hope had been telling her again about her trip to the zoo. The elephants were awesome. It was wonderful to see her so excited, although she wished she could have been there. "I have exciting news."

"What?" she asked, sitting near her mom. Her floral shorts and black tank top were new. So stylish!

"You're going to start kindergarten in two weeks. Here. In Dallas." Hayley smiled.

Hope wasn't sure what to think, not having given it any thought.

"You'll go every day. You'll learn things and have fun. You'll make new friends."

"We get to stay?" A future in one place while they worked on bringing her dad home? A real future? More friends?

"I don't know if it will be for forever or how long yet, but we're staying."

Her smile was beautiful and she gave Hayley a spontaneous hug. Hayley was relieved. Her questions came like lightning and Hayley had to keep up with them, happy her baby was happy. Hope was smart and school would provide a good challenge for her.

"Are we getting closer to getting Daddy?"

"We are," Hayley promised. "We really are. Caroline and Ric are helping me."

That was a relief!

"Are you ready to go school shopping?" Hayley asked with a huge smile of her own. "You need more clothes and school supplies- pencils and crayons and notebooks to practice your writing in." Hayley expected to get a list from the school of what Hope would need when she had the meeting on Monday, but she'd get started in the meantime.

"Really?"

"Really."

Hope jumped up to put on her flip flops, moving faster than ever. "I'm ready!"

Hayley laughed at how quick she was. "Let's go get ready for school."

They left, Hope over the moon, and spent a great day together.

.

.

.

The fresh blonde looked great against her skin. Her bright red romper made her legs look great. The red polish was the perfect accompaniment. Big D watch out for Caroline Forbes!

Making it to the end of their class- only a few parents watched the whole thing, others popped in and out for a respite- Caroline watched her girls finish shaking their booties. Watching 3 years olds in dance class was a guaranteed mood brightener. It should be prescribed! They were earnest, yet careless and free.

"Babies, you are awesome. Great job, Lizzie. Great job, Josie. You're really learning it and your spins are so good, you guys."

They were all smiles as she raved, showing off a couple of new moves that she appropriately reacted to. They were the most lovable cutie pies ever.

"Did you have fun?"

"Yup."

"A lot."

Caroline drove them to her place where she made them lunch, addicted to peanut butter and jelly her babies were, but at least she got some healthy apple slices in them. After play time it was nap time.

When they woke, they played together again. Josie pretended to be a fire fighter, her little daredevil, and Lizzie pretended to be a teacher, her little nurturer. They had such fun showing off their imaginations.

"Who runs the world?" Caroline sang when they were in Ric's living room as she was dropping them off.

"Girls," her little ones sang back, bouncing around again, arms and legs flying.

"Who runs the world? Josie, she runs the world!"

It was Josie's turn to shake her booty in the middle of the room, making them all laugh and clap at her enthusiasm and cool moves.

"Who runs the world? Lizzie, she runs the world!"

Lizzie made the most of her moment, moving those hips like crazy, flinging her hair over her shoulders.

Alaric and Caroline cheered them on. [Yeah, Caroline spun a few times too.]

"You guys are awesome. You are different and you are perfect." They loved doing twin things, but it was important to encourage their independence and differences too. Both Alaric and Caroline made sure to spend individual time with the girls.

Plus if Caroline knew anything, it was that it sucked to not feel good enough. She was doing everything she could do inspire her girls and fill them with confidence…with a little help from Queen Bey along the way. "Bye, Josie." Kiss. "Bye, Lizzie." Kiss. "I'll see you tomorrow. Hope's coming over later for a sleepover. You guys are so lucky and popular." They smirked, duh, and Caroline couldn't help but grin. "Love you so much, babies."

"Love you, Mommy," was repeated a few times as she said goodbye.

It was always hard to leave them, but they were with their dad and she wasn't a helicopter mom. Well, she had been, but she was trying to stop it and not be too clingy and controlling. Being a cool mom was hard. She was nailing it!

Back in her car she checked her makeup in the rearview mirror. Like the classy vampire she was, she had an appointment to meet a witch.

.

.

.

"I'm here to see Roger," Caroline said with a big smile, pushing her aviators to the top of her head.

She looked great with the fresh highlights and blowout, red lips, red romper, and red toenails.

Her surroundings were surprising, but she guessed it made sense that not all witches could actually just do magic as a career. Some must, but this witch worked at a tax preparation firm. It was a quiet time of year.

The office was small with mostly empty desks. The decor was bland with bland accessories, designed to be, well, bland. People weren't looking to be impressed by the surroundings. They wanted the biggest tax return and did not want to be audited. Drop off receipts, W2s, deductions, and done.

Despite it being the late afternoon on a Saturday, the office was open. Caroline could only see two people out front, but she was led back to Roger's office.

It reminded Caroline of Michael Scott's office from, well, The Office.

Deciding to use her charm, Caroline offered her hand with her Big D smile. "Hi. I'm Caroline."

"Roger," he responded stiffly with a limp handshake, indicating she should take a seat. She did. He closed the door.

Well, then. Hmmm. He didn't give her much to go with.

"You do taxes and spells?"

Roger didn't respond.

Time to bring out the big Miss Mystic smile. "I'll be back in April then."

Nothing.

Roger was a tough nut to crack!

To relieve the awkwardness, Caroline pulled out a sheet of paper from her bag and started to ramble. "Can you mix this antidote for me? It's for my-ex's sister." [Was that a big fib? Could she call Klaus an ex? A fling? A hookup? Ohhh, a future? Scandalous! Focus!] "Let's call him Tom Riddle."

That got Roger's attention. "From Harry Potter?"

"He has the accent and everything," she shrugged, thinking it was a pretty good analogy, although Klaus had passed through to Voldemort's level.

"Is his nose missing?"

Caroline gave a sigh.

What was with everyone wanting to know what Klaus looked like?

So he was super hot?

So he was a smoking hot immortal sexy, powerful, dangerous beast? Big deal. [Go, Denial, go!]

Roger definitely got an answer he wasn't expecting.

"Not yet. He has a great nose, nice and straight." Caroline stared off into space. "He has soft pink pillowy lips, a constant five o'clock shadow that somehow is raspy, but doesn't hurt when he scrapes it down your neck, biceps that strain the sleeves of his shirts perfectly, strong hands that know just what to do, slim hips like a swimmer, abs like the guys on romance novels…and that happy trail that leads from his belly button down to his…"

Fanning herself, "Is it hot in here?" Was the air conditioner broken? Whoo.

"It is," Roger said, fanning himself too, eyes glazed, lost in Caroline's description.

Then he shook his head and cleared his throat when his coworkers yelled a goodbye, closing the office behind them. "Getting back to business," he said, looking over the spell. "You have the ingredients?" His specialty wasn't in procuring the pieces, but performing spells when he wasn't a CPA.

"Eye of newt," Caroline joked, pulling out the baggies of herbs Hayley had acquired as well as the vial of rose water. All were perfectly labeled she hoped Roger noticed.

Roger did not laugh.

Seriously? That was a good one.

"$2,000." It was a simple enough antidote for a doozy of a spell. The hard part was getting the Betony as it wasn't native to the United States. Roger didn't know it had taken Hayley the most time to procure, but he could have guessed.

Liz Forbes didn't raise no fool. "$1,500."

"$1,750."

"Deal," Caroline agreed. Alaric thought it would cost $2,500 or less, which is the amount of cash she had stuffed in her bag. Sale! She tried to pass the wads of cash under the desk…because that was way more fun and dramatic, but Roger wasn't having it.

With a huff, she put the cash on his desk.

His fingers quickly rifled through the bills, satisfied. [Yes, she was a little surprised she didn't get a receipt. He wouldn't even go for it when she literally tried to pay him under the table!]

Standing up, Roger got his mortar and pestle from inside the large wooden credenza behind him. He combined the ingredients according to the words on the page, chanting.

The magic filled the room. Caroline could feel it and then it was done. Roger was efficient. Maybe he really was a good CPA? She'd see if he was deserving of a blog post next year when she brought her taxes to him.

When she received the refilled vial from him [way to recycle, Rog!] she carefully put it in her purse.

"She needs to drink all of it," he said. He gave her a look. "Is she in a sleep state?"

Caroline nodded, not seeing why she should lie.

Roger figured. The woman would have been dead long before the ingredients could be collected otherwise. It was curious the witch who put her in the sleep state wasn't the one who was combining the antidote. It wasn't his business though. The money assured his discretion. "It's only viable for a week. If she doesn't get it by then, it's worthless."

Listening, Caroline put the remaining herbs back in her purse carefully. They would be needed if they had to try again. She also wanted to leave on good terms with her new best friend Roger Dodger in case she had to return. "Thanks. Good day to you, Roger."


	8. 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There have been reviews on this story, but half of them are mine. It's hard/pointless to share a story when it's met with silence...so if you have a comment, let me know! Thanks.

That night, after Caroline showed the vial and instructions for Freya to Hayley who took the potion and put it away, Caroline put on a gorgeous silk red jump suit, working that red theme once again. The spaghetti straps showed off her shoulders, but it meant she needed a strapless bra. Her bad boys would be a little too exposed without one. The Big D wasn't ready for Caroline to dance braless in public.

The jumpsuit showed off her figure and was cool enough for the warm night. Gold sandals made her about three inches taller. A gold bracelet went on her wrist and a thin chain went around her neck. Her favorite red lipstick was slicked on her lips when the rest of her makeup was set. A spritz of perfume and a check of her perfect blonde curls meant she was ready.

Hayley was lent one of Caroline's black dresses. The dress itself was simple and short with a sheer overlay. It was feminine and sexy.

"Your legs are longer and you're skinnier," Caroline noticed with squinted eyes and a hand on her hip, "but my boobs are bigger and better."

Hayley rolled her eyes, but she did admire herself in the mirror. She didn't have dressy shoes. Her feet and Caroline's weren't the same size, but she had some booties that gave the outfit the edge that was more her style. She thought she looked good even if she didn't really like getting dressed up often.

"You're driving tonight," Caroline told her when she was ready. The moms were going out. All the kids were with Ric and it was going to be good!

There were 3 places Caroline wanted to hit that night, but the first place the ladies went to was one of Dallas' finest steakhouses. Caroline already had reservations of course. Texans knew how to do steak and that part of the evening was the only thing Hayley was really looking forward to. Eschewing the stereotypical salads for women, both of them ordered steaks, rare, with plenty of sides and kept the red wine coming. It was a delicious meal with top notch service. Yes, it would be going on the blog with a stellar recommendation. Yes, Klaus paid for it. [Thanks, Klaus! You're a peach.]

Hayley wasn't exactly excited to be going out and it showed when they got to the first nightclub. Her Resting Bitch Face was alienating everyone so Caroline had to point it out of course as nicely as possible.

That went over well.

Letting go, Caroline let the alcohol and music sink in. Her eyes took in all the details from the flashing lights, perfumed bodies, and thumping bass. She felt free and young. There was also fresh blood coursing through her body. She took advantage by quickly popping a hot guy into the coat closet with her. Drinking from him was fun and she felt amazing!

"It's like a meat market," Hayley complained. They didn't even have top shelf bourbon.

"That's what a club is," Caroline reminded her. "Alright, let's go to the next one." It had been an hour. It was ok, but too crowded. She got hit on of course, but by really slick types who looked like they lived in clubs. Where were the urban cowboys anyway? Where were the hipsters who liked to dance? Where was the after work crowd letting off some steam? [Caroline forgot it was a Saturday which meant that last group was nowhere to be found.]

The second club wasn't much better. Everyone was in the VIP area, making the designation moot. It was easy for them to get in, they didn't even need compulsion, but it was uptight and the music was terrible. A DJ was clearly trying to make a name for himself by cutting up each hit song so terribly they were unrecognizable. The drinks were all too sweet and also really expensive for how little alcohol they had. She wouldn't recommend it to her readers.

"This is it. I can feel it," Caroline said when they got inside the third place. Each of the places was in the same section of the city. Walking from one to another was easy and sketchy characters were given the evil eye. No one was going to mess around with Caroline's night out on the town. Not today, peeps. Not. Today.

Taking Hayley's arm, she made a path through the throngs of people to get to the bar. Leaning in, her boobs got the bartender's attention. All natural, baby.

The drinks were generous and after drinking all night they were starting to take effect.

Best of all?

"I love this place," Caroline yelled to Hayley to be overhead after she took her first sip of her martini, feeling classy. "Do you hear that? It's my anthem."

Yup. They were playing Beyonce.

Strolling out to the dance floor like the Queen of Dallas, Caroline held her drink in one hand, wristlet dangling from her other arm, and danced.

Arms and legs moved with the music. Boobs and ass moved with the music. Hips and head moved with the music.

If a guy aggressively tried to dance with her, she pushed them off with a flick of her wrist, sending them flying. Whee!

She was in the zone.

It's what drew everyone's eyes to her.

"Care to dance, sweetheart?"

The words gave Caroline a jolt.

"Klaus?"

Looking up, she saw the error of her ways.

It wasn't him.

It wasn't Klaus.

"What's Klaus?" the guy asked, confused.

"Yes, I'll dance," she agreed, trying to leave the excitement she felt at possibly seeing Klaus behind. She was there in the Big D. Klaus couldn't dance with her. She was ok with that. Really. It didn't make her sad at all. There wasn't an emptiness inside. Her Denial went into overdrive, protecting her.

Her hands fell on the guy's shoulders where they were even broader than Klaus'. He was more muscular and at least 3 inches taller than Klaus. His hands fell to her hips.

Caroline got through one song, but that was it.

"I need to go see my friend and get another drink. Thanks for the dance."

All of a sudden the flashing lights were too much. The music was too loud. Too many people were pressing in on her.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she could almost hear his voice, telling her to breathe, just breathe.

In.

Out.

In.

Out.

It was the right voice with a British accent.

When she was back within herself and she'd gotten through whatever that was, a panic attack maybe, she got a glass of water and found a spot against a wall, trying to flush the sensations away that overwhelmed her. Concentrating on just breathing, she felt in control once again.

Klaus wasn't there. Klaus was in trouble and she was dancing.

Klaus was a bad guy though. He hurt people. He killed Aunt Jenna. He killed Tyler's mom and ran him out of town. He bit her twice! Those things couldn't be imagined away.

All of those memories made Caroline really sad.

There was also the Klaus that saved her. He saved Stefan for her. He made her laugh. He told her things she hadn't shared with anyone, including about the beautiful life she would have. She was his soft spot. Everyone knew it. That made him lash out and her too. If he claimed to respect and admire her, he had to listen to her.

He had standards to live up to, including treating people with respect, before she could respect him. She got to know him and saw through the veneer of callousness he used to keep the vulnerability in check.

Hadn't he learned some lessons? Hadn't he come to think of her as a friend and by running to him with her girls, hadn't she been thinking of him the same way? He was a grown ass man and when he made decisions she hated, she let him know, not afraid because she stood up for what was right. He let her do that too. Isn't that one of the things that perpetually drew her to him? How did little Miss Mystic Falls get the respect of an Original, biggest and baddest, vampire ever?

Her feelings for Klaus were confusing. Denying them and playing them off were easy and frankly until he was free, she'd probably keep it that way. She didn't know what she wanted from Klaus other than to free him and reunite him with his daughter.

Hearing a particular laugh, which was a shock, Caroline turned her head. Something very weird was happening.

Hayley was in the middle of five tall and huge gorgeous guys.

Needing a refill of water, Caroline sidled up to an opening in the bar, shocked at Hayley…having fun! Her glass was refilled quickly and the cool drink soothed her parched throat. Then she stood and walked to her accidental housemate.

"Caroline," Hayley said with a smile when she saw her face. "Are you ok?" The night was Caroline's idea, but she looked off.

"I guess. I needed a break," she said, not sure she could explain what happened. Did she suddenly have Klaus on the brain…well more than usual? Was there something weird and supernatural in the air? If she suddenly developed some freaking psychic link with Klaus Caroline would lose her mind! [Just in case: Klaus, if you're in there. I know. I'm trying to get you, but stay out of my head! That's an order.] However, it seemed like she was giving in more and more to her concern for him rather than anything freaky going on. "Are you?" Caroline asked, so very confused. Where was Hayley's Resting Bitch Face? [Not asking was so, so hard.] Why was she being engaging…and pleasant?

"Yeah. Guys, this is my friend Caroline. Caroline, these are the guys," Hayley answered, sipping club soda since she was the driver.

Caroline wanted to say she preferred the term "frenemy" but she bit her cheek to keep it inside.

The guys all nodded at Caroline and made space.

Caroline noticed that they all towered over her. How had Hayley done it and so quickly? Were they cowboys? Real-life cowboys? Like the ones that actually worked with cows? Or were they the real Dallas Cowboys, the professional football players? The manly men looked like they could do both. Hello!

Hayley was flirting and having a good time. Wasn't that what the night was supposed to be about? It wasn't supposed to be about feeling all sorts of guilty that Klaus was alone and in pain. "Let's dance. This is my song."

.

.

.

"Do you ever dream about Elijah?"

"What?" Hayley asked, rubbing her eyes the next morning when she got up. Caroline was having breakfast and prepping for lunch.

Alaric, Caroline, and the girls had Sunday lunch together every week. It had become a tradition to ease the girls into their separation and serve as a reminder that they were still a family. Hayley and Hope were invited to this one. Alaric would bring Hope over with the twins in a few hours.

"Do you dream about Elijah?"

"Not really."

"Oh yeah, I don't ever dream about Klaus. Hahahaha."

To her own ears it was the most fake laugh ever, but Caroline couldn't admit to dreaming about Klaus, right? It happened a few times though. It must have been because she was thinking about him. Totally normal. Nothing to see here. No psychic link!

Hayley grinned. Caroline was so transparent even if she wasn't quite up to speed after their late night out. "What happened in your dream?"

"Since you asked," Caroline said, passing Hayley the basket of muffins, as she sat down, "I was riding an elephant and I look over and there's Klaus, riding his own elephant. It was like we were in Asia." The landscape behind them had been lush and green. The air was incredibly humid, but since it was a dream they were still comfortable and not covered in sweat. [Of course, she looked glamorous. Thank you for asking. And of course, Klaus did too. Sweat looked good on Klaus. It reminded her of another time Klaus was hot and sweaty. Yum.]

"Then I think it was gunfire that broke out? We each got out of the little contraptions we were in, sliding down to the ground. I don't know if we were vampires or human." Caroline bit her lip for a second. "Klaus pushed me up against the elephant and told me to keep my head down and that I would be safe. He said I should stay and he'd find out what was happening." It reminded her a lot of when he saved her back at Mystic Falls High School. "I started to hyperventilate, which I don't do in real life, when he turned to leave. He told me to breathe. In and out. In and out. I would be ok. That's when I woke up." While Caroline didn't think she'd hyperventilated, she started to the night before and those same words from Klaus kept her calm then too.

Hayley smiled at Caroline. Caroline probably didn't realize her speaking became slower when she mentioned Klaus' calming influence. It went from frantic rambling, to slow and steady. There was a Klaus that Caroline saw and no one else did. Cami saw something in Klaus, but it wasn't the same. There was also a Caroline that Klaus saw too. Hayley was seeing pieces of her.

"What do you think it means?"

"I have no idea." She could have made a joke or made some pretty good guesses at what Caroline's psyche was telling her, but declined. Caroline had to know at least part of what it meant. "I think about Elijah sometimes as I'm falling asleep, but they aren't dreams," she admitted.

Caroline nodded and they were quiet. As she finished her coffee, Caroline wrote up her notes on the clubs, setting aside her dream of Klaus. The last club had been a lot of fun. After Caroline had her moment of panic, she danced with Hayley and the guys. Caroline did Josie and Lizzie's best moves for them, which made them all laugh. Her babies were awesome! Hayley did an impression of Hope's dancing that had Caroline dying. It was great. The women both had fun once Hayley let herself and Caroline dropped her expectations.

The guys were respectful and wanted women to drink with and to talk to. Some of them had girlfriends and were wingmen for their buddies. A few danced. Others hung out near the bar. Some flirting went on, but nothing serious. Caroline liked to talking to them.

Also, yes, somehow Hayley made friends with the actual Dallas Cowboys.

That was a thing that happened.

Of course Caroline asked them ten thousand questions, including how naked the locker room got because she had no shame.

[The answer? So naked! How she didn't dream about that, but about Klaus and elephants? She didn't want to know.]

"How many numbers did you get last night anyway?" she asked Hayley with a smirk as Hayley washed the few breakfast dishes.

"None. You?"

"None," she answered with a huge grin. It turns out, meeting the guys wasn't the part she was after, after all. It was about the process of getting dressed up and going out. It was about dancing. It was about seeing and being seen. It was, believe it or not, having fun with the person she went with who happened to be [I know, it's totally crazy] Hayley. [How did that happen again?] That was the experience she'd been after and that's what she got. Who knew that Klaus almost seemed to be apart of it?

.

.

.

Sunday lunch went wonderfully. The girls were getting along great. Ric was a good storyteller and kept them entertained. He also told Caroline and Hayley he located a book that he thought would provide the most information on Rebekah's mark. It was coming from another university library and should be delivered in a few days. His research was continuing in the meantime, but he was making progress he thought. The excitement of a new discovery fueled him.

The rest of Sunday was like most of them. The girls stayed with Caroline. They did chores, an art project, and Caroline brought them to the wading pool to cool off. Hayley and Hope came, but also spent time together.

The next day was the first day of library school for the girls. It was only a few hours in the middle of the day, but they came home raving about it. Hayley had the real school interview in the morning which went well. Hope needed to have an updated physical, which Caroline helped Hayley schedule with the twins' pediatrician, compelling an appointment the following morning. She also enrolled her as Hope Mikaelson, but compelled the school staff to be discreet regarding Hope's identity. Using Hope Kenner was confusing for Hope and probably wasn't necessary. For kindergarten though, Hope would be the real Hope Mikaelson. [Would the real Hope Mikaelson please stand up?]

Soon enough Tuesday rolled around. Hope had her physical in the morning for school and did really well. The doctor was very kind, the twins loved her, and Hope was healthy. The distraction of library camp helped when it came time for Hayley to leave. Hope was less emotional, but it was still hard. Caroline and the twins were there for her.

That afternoon, the twins, Hope, and Caroline were all in the backyard. It was warm and sunny.

Josie was climbing the tree. She almost figured out how to hang upside down from one of the branches and she was only 3! Caroline wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing yet. Her eyes was on her, ready to whoosh if Josie's fingers started to slip. She was annoyingly good at climbing though. Hope too, but Hope was kicking around a soccer ball. Lizzie was at Caroline's side, giving a bottle to her baby doll.

"Lizzie, will you kick the ball with me?" Hope asked, pushing a lock of hair behind her ears just like her mom.

"Yeah," she agreed, jumping up. "Mommy, can you watch the baby? She's sleepy." The doll was shoved into Caroline's arms

"I'll watch Olivia," she agreed, standing up and moving closer to Josie, absently holding the doll.

"Mommy, you need to burp her," Lizzie called out as she kicked the ball, keeping an eye on her baby just like Caroline was doing to her babies.

"Sorry!" The baby was pressed to her chest and she lightly tapped the back of the doll. She was certainly familiar with burping babies. Thankfully, Josie jumped down from the tree too.

"Is she sleeping?" Josie asked, liking to play with baby dolls just like her sister. Her own baby doll, Chloe, was inside.

"I think so," Caroline loudly whispered as she rubbed the doll's back.

Someone else was sleepy. Josie walked to Caroline and put up her arms. Juggling the doll, Caroline picked her up. Josie held the doll as Caroline held Josie. She rubbed Josie's back who was tired.

It hit Caroline.

It felt as if a thousand pounds pressed down on her and lifted her up all at once. It was if her panic at the disco [hardy har har] was leading her to this revelation:

The last time she spoke to Klaus she was in the same exact position. There was a baby falling asleep on her chest, the baby lulled to sleep when Klaus calmed her down.

Klaus.

Klaus who made sure Stefan was ok, not for himself and their practically forgotten faux-friendship, but for her.

Klaus.

Klaus who had been put down shortly afterwards, suffering for hours, days, weeks, months, and years.

Klaus who told her to just breathe a few nights before.

"Girls," she told them absently, beginning to orate like Mel Gibson in Braveheart, rousing her troops, pacing back and forth, "I've been a little lost on something, not sure. I tried to let it go, doing a little here and there. I know I can do more. I know that I have so much more to offer. I know that I can give more than I have to the person who saved me more than once more." She paused and looked at the three of them. "I know what I have to do. I need to save Hope's daddy."

They looked at her and like the football team inspired by the coach's beautiful halftime speech in every sports movie ever, they cheered.


	9. 9

"I'm helping to get Hope's Daddy, but I know I can do more," she explained since at least Hope knew she was helping already.

Josie was practically asleep on her chest. "Does this mean you have to go like Hope's mommy?"

"No, baby," she answered, nuzzling her soft skin as Lizzie listened intently. "I might have to go on a trip, but I might need you with me too. All of you," she noted, looking at Hope too, "but we will figure it out."

Hayley and Caroline hadn't really spoken about what would happen once the Mikaelsons were free and how to actually get Klaus, [how she hadn't at least made a timeline yet was crazy] but wouldn't a few siphoner babies come in handy?

"Instead of the movies we watch where the prince saves the princess, we'll be the princesses who save the prince!"

They grinned, liking that idea a lot!

Then Josie nodded off and fell asleep right on Caroline.

As Hope and Lizzie kicked the ball, Caroline brought Josie into her bedroom for her nap.

Back outside, Caroline corralled the other one who was exhausted too. "Come here, baby," she called with open arms. Lizzie ran to her and she was spent. Fortunately the twins had the same schedule. It made life so much easier and putting her to bed alongside her sister was a breeze.

Hope didn't nap any more though.

"Are you thirsty?" Caroline asked as they trooped inside.

"Yeah."

Caroline set her up with a glass of apple juice.

"What can I do to help my Daddy?"

Aww! Caroline sat next to her. "I think you being in school, doing well, and being good for your mom are important things. Your dad would love to hear about that. Plus, when you help with Josie and Lizzie, it means a lot to me."

Hope thought those were easy though.

"I kind of have a secret project going on," Caroline admitted with a sly smile that got Hope very interested.

"What is it? I love secrets."

That sounded a lot like Klaus, Caroline thought. "You know how you didn't have any pictures of your dad?"

Hope nodded.

"I bet he doesn't have pictures of you either, so I'm going to change that," she said proudly. Then Caroline grabbed a binder from the counter. "I started this and I'm going to keep adding to it. Your dad will see what you've been doing here."

[She'd kick him in the crotch if he didn't think it was the coolest thing ever either! Do you hear that probably non-existent psychic!Klaus? I'll punt your balls.]

Hope smiled broadly as she looked at the few pages Caroline had put together for a scrapbook. Since Caroline didn't know how to not make an awesome scrapbook, the photos had the fancy edges and she used stickers to decorate the pages. There were ones with the twins too, including the adorable one when they were all on the couch.

"When I take more pictures, like your first day of school- that will be such a good one- will you help me put them in the book?"

Hope gave that Mikaelson grin. Then she leaned over and gave Caroline a hug to show her appreciation. "Yeah. It's so good and I'm everywhere."

Caroline grinned at her.

There had been a little something else Caroline thought about too.

"Klaus will also need a place to live." At least for a hot minute, Caroline expected Klaus in Dallas. [No, butterflies didn't go insane in her stomach at that or anything.] He might not stay, but it would be a place to regroup. Hayley didn't have her own place and Klaus couldn't stay with her. There was no room and who knew what kind of state he'd be in. "Do you think you could help me pick a place out for him and get him some things?"

Hope's eyes were huge and excited. "I know I can do it."

"I know you can too." It must be so hard for Hope to have Hayley and her tell her they were working on things, but not see results and not be able to do anything. Kids weren't patient. "Do you remember about your dad's brothers and sisters?"

Hope nodded.

"Your mom and I and even Ric are helping them so we can help your dad. We have to go step by step. Your mom's bringing the stuff to Freya on this very trip," Caroline told her, emphasizing the importance. "We're working on the things for Elijah, Kol, and Rebekah. Your Aunt Rebekah's stuff is being worked on too. Do you know what that means?"

She shook her head, brown hair sliding across her shoulders.

"We're closer than ever, Hope." Then she made Hope a promise. "We're absolutely going to get your daddy." There was a nice finality to the words. "I'll find a real estate agent." Ohh, potential blog post there! Her own apartment hunt had been based on location and how quickly she could get in. "Then we'll have them take us to some options and choose a place for your dad to live in. Ok?"

"Yeah." Hope was satisfied that she had a role. Her 5 year old mind was ready to think about something else though. "Can I watch Frozen again?" she asked with a sweet smile.

Someone new was infected with the Frozen disease!

"Absolutely," Caroline agreed. Hope was singing the songs like the girls and them doing it all together was so freaking cute!

While Hope was engrossed in the movie, Caroline went online. She checked her email, seeing her latest work assignment. There had been a string of robberies. Crime usually wasn't her beat, but the regular writer was on vacation. She was excited to write something more hard-hitting. Once she read the wires, contacted the police department for a statement and called one of the homes hit for a quote on the experience, she wrote up the article. Nailed it!

When that was done, she texted Hayley telling her she'd do online research on the last pack if she gave her something to start with.

Hayley responded quickly, providing the name of the pack, some family names, and what she knew about them which was that they were based in Texas. It was another one of the reasons why Hayley headed towards Caroline from Mystic Falls. It was killing two birds with one stone.

Using her newspaper access to databases, Caroline entered the few family names Hayley provided as starting points.

There were too many of them to look through from stories twenty years old to ones only a few months old. They came in from all over the country too.

Once Caroline sorted the search by location, there were still 500 results for the last name in Texas. [Don't mess with Texas! You mess with the bull, you get the horns. Hook 'em Horns. She could go on and on with all the slogans and mottos.]

Thinking with her lip between her teeth, Caroline sorted the results, focusing on the ones from the last twenty years. There were 294 of them.

She was looking for a killer of some kind, right? In order to have the venom, the wolf would have to be turned. There were accidental deaths. Others would be in prison [she hoped] for at least some period of time. For them to be out, the crime couldn't be new in other words. Caroline wasn't going to break into a prison to find a werewolf murderer there. [Also, how did a werewolf survive in prison, turning every month anyway? Wasn't that a big issue that was never mentioned anywhere? Maybe she'd remember and ask Hayley.] Also, no wonder why it was taking Hayley so long. She had to find the hidden packs, find a wolf who had been turned, and also get their venom on a full moon.

While some of the packs dispersed after Lucien's reign of terror on them, others had long ago settled in new places. Those were the ones Caroline was after, the ones with established roots in Texas. It would make them much easier to find because records would exist.

Soon the girls came out of their rooms from their nap, their cheeks rosy. Caroline snuggled them while they were still warm from sleep and actually sitting still! After smothering them with kisses, they joined Hope to watch everyone's favorite movie which was just about done.

Back at the computer, Caroline narrowed her search down to the articles listed in the Dallas newspapers. 78 articles! Using the pad of paper at her side, she wrote down the dates for each in case she had to go back. All 78 might be busts, but that was an amount she could go through by doing a little every day. No time like the present to start.

Going through the headlines, 30 were about one guy. That was something. When she clicked, Caroline saw that he was running for local office. That's what all the articles were about. She crossed all those off. [FYI, he lost.]

Going through the headlines, 16 others were about one man. That was a good sign.

Caroline clicked the first article and yes, the man had been arrested for beating his wife to death after years of domestic abuse. Gross! The guy made Caroline's stomach churn when she saw his face. He had creep written all over him.

Reading the rest of the articles, Caroline saw he'd been convicted and was supposed to serve life in prison.

Double-checking, Caroline logged onto Facebook. Nope, the guy wasn't on there, so hopefully he was locked away for good.

Next!

"Mommy, it's all done," Josie called.

Unfortunately, Caroline was on a roll. She didn't want to turn them into TV zombies, but a little longer wouldn't hurt. She checked the time. "Sesame Street is on."

Acceptable! They all were fans of Elmo and Cookie Monster.

They sat waiting and she turned it on for them.

Sitting back down, she saw that another name was in 8 articles. When Caroline checked though, it was two different people who had the same name. One of the guys had actually run into his neighbor's house and let everyone know the house was on fire since their smoke detectors weren't working. Way to go, dude. He restored a little faith in humanity for Caroline.

54 articles were busts, 24 to go. If there was nothing, she'd expand her search to Houston and Austin. [Don't fail me now, Big D!]

There was a trio of articles that were only a few months old which caught her eye. Caroline didn't think they were likely leads, but she had to give it a click. Something told her it would be worth checking out.

Finishing the first article, she squeaked.

The girls looked over at her and she grinned at them. They got back to the show and Caroline made a note of the article and name mentioned.

Standing up, Caroline started dinner by turning on the stove and pulling out the ingredients. She was dying to keep reading, but her little monsters got oh so cranky when they were hungry. Who did they get that from? [Nope, don't answer that.] Dinner that night was pork chops, the girls loved the applesauce on the side, plus kale and carrots.

Chopping the veggies and getting them going, she was able to sit down and read the stories while the food was cooking, the smells filling the air. Wasn't that her life now? Taking care of 3 kids, making dinner, and still trying to help Klaus.

A middle aged man had recently been involved in an incident on a farm. A piece of equipment Caroline had never heard of broke down. The boss had climbed in it to fix it. He asked the employee to turn it on. The boss got caught and pulled into the machine. He was killed. It was a tragedy. All were really shaken up per the article.

Caroline wondered if the employee knew his likely family history. Just because his last name was correct didn't mean he was a werewolf. Maybe he was adopted into a werewolf family? Maybe he felt like changing his name? [What should she change her name to? Caroline Forbes was pretty awesome. Um yeah, Forbes-Mikaelson had a certain elegant, powerful ring to it if she allowed herself to consider it. Dreaming about Klaus, finding him a place to live in Dallas, and considering his last name meant nothing. Nothing to see here.] There could be a thousand explanations. It would be be an awful surprise to wake up one full moon and go through the transition though.

The accident occurred just outside of Dallas on one of the big ranches. When Caroline checked, she couldn't find his address online. However, there was another clue. The journalist in one of the articles went to the man's house for a statement, but his son said his father had no comment.

With a hunch, Caroline typed in the older man's name into Facebook. Nothing, but that wasn't really surprising. However, the son's name was in the article.

Bingo!

One of the timers went off and Caroline checked on the food before sitting down and scoping the kid out.

He was definitely the right person. He was a recent graduate of Texas A&M [Go Aggies!] per his page [which was not set to Private.] Living at home again while looking for work, he was like a lot of people his age. Also…bonus…he had 2 brothers! Their pages were filled with the same sort of posts, mostly about sports, hunting, country music, and women. They all seemed like macho men and Caroline couldn't help but wonder if that was the werewolf gene. She for sure knew that Tyler was a total douchebag before he turned and got a hold of his emotions. [Ditching the do rag was a start.] These bros? Too soon to tell.

Caroline knew there was a clue in the posts. She read them over and over until a lightbulb went off. [Not literally. Then Caroline definitely would have thought Klaus was reading her mind. Stay out, Klaus, I'm working on it. Me thinking about Forbes-Mikaelson doesn't mean anything…or the elephant thing.]

There was a pattern in the posts!

Every weekend the guy named in the article either made a post about where he was going or posted a selfie from the place.

Now she knew where he would be!

Caroline stood up with a shimmy and closed her laptop. It was time to eat. The table was set and soon enough she was filling plates and cutting everything up into bite size pieces.

"Are you guys hungry?" Caroline asked as she walked into the living room to turn the television off.

"Uh huh," they agreed, climbing off the couch.

Then there was a noise that had her staring at the three of them.

"I farted," Lizzie admitted with a cute grin, fingers up to her mouth.

That set them off into hysterics. Nothing was ever so funny as a fart to these girls. Caroline rolled her eyes. [What would it have been like to raise twin boys?!]

"Lizzie Saltzman!"

They laughed even harder and Caroline was a proud mother all over again. Yup, this was her life.

.

.

.

"Something's happening."

"What? Are we waking up?"

Freya shook her head. "It's not that, but I felt something." There was a new energy in her body, but it was unfamiliar.

"How long have we been here?" Elijah asked.

None of them knew.

The Mikaelson siblings were gathered in the dream world Freya had hastily constructed for them. It featured dreamy pastel colors. There was a garden in full bloom in front of a large Victorian home. It was a particularly quaint setting for at least three of the Originals who had shed more blood than anyone on the planet…except for their half-brother of course.

There was no sense of time. Had it been hours or days? Seconds or months?

They were always outdoors and didn't feel anything. There was no need for blood or sustenance. It was perpetual inertia.

"Do you feel anything?" Freya asked them.

Kol and Elijah looked at one another, but no, they hadn't. Rebekah didn't feel anything either.

"Does it mean you're the only one waking up?"

"No. We will all wake together. It was something else."

It was. It certainly was.


	10. 10

The week went by just as the earlier one had, except Hayley was successful giving Freya the antidote. It worked just like it was supposed to and it lifted some of the weight off Hayley. Almost there. Almost there.

Hope was great and having her wasn't a huge change for Caroline except those times when Caroline had her while the twins were with Ric. Caroline took advantage by reading with Hope and of course telling her about Klaus. She also took pictures of Hope through the week for the scrapbook. [Caroline introduced her to posing like Beyonce. The results were of course super fierce. You're welcome, world!] She took one where Hope was reading to the twins. It was the cutest of the cute!

On the wolf venom front in Dallas, her best chance to find the son of the suspected wolf was over the weekend, so she was busy with work, her babies, and Hope in the meantime. She didn't say anything to Hayley…because, well…reasons. [Her pros and cons list was quite detailed.] Hayley would be back soon enough and Caroline would tell her what she found when she knew more.

All she knew for sure is a guy with a certain name accidentally killed someone. His son liked to hang out at a place Friday and Saturday nights.

Step 1. Find him at his favorite place.

Step 2. Follow him home. Using compulsion would work too, but was a little less discreet. Either way, figuring out where he lived was the goal.

Step 3. Find out if he's a wolf and get the venom.

Easier said than done and Step 1 sounded a lot easier than Step 3.

Could she charm the father, appeal to his humanity? Could she offer something in exchange? [Did he like chocolate chip cookies perhaps? A customized day planner? A deep cleaning of his kitchen?] Compel him? Let Hayley take over?

The last thought rankled. She was a smart, capable, awesome vampire who could make a bigger contribution than being a babysitter.

She had to be careful in any scenario. The only known cure was not available. [Ba dum bump.] There was no way she was dying when she had everything to live for.

In the meantime, Caroline kept up with her usual routine. That included her spinning class.

When she moved back to the Big D, she needed more activities to keep her busy when she didn't have the girls. Boredom was her worst enemy. It made her neurotic brain go even more haywire. It was when the guilt of leaving them kicked in. One of those activities? Sweating her ass off.

Ric was once again being a hero. He offered to take Josie, Lizzie, and Hope out to dinner. He was going to try and see if they'd enjoy bowling. Hope would also be sleeping over since Caroline coming and just getting Hope would be hard for the twins. Ric was awesome and yes, in exchange, Caroline was going to organize his office on Sunday afternoon. [It's also when she planned to snoop through his books and find something out about Rebekah's mark if possible.]

Also, Ric had a date!

Yup, Alaric Saltzman asked out a woman he met on campus. [No, he wasn't going after the undergrads any more. Yup, that was creepy. Let's move on.] She worked in Admissions.

He'd had two amazing loves, Jenna and Jo. Rather than being foolish with Caroline, he wanted to find someone who wanted to be with him just as much.

Her name was Lindsay. [Caroline told him if this chick thought she could step in and replace her, she'd have another thing coming!] The idea of a flustered Ric on a date though made Caroline smile. At least someone in Dallas was getting some romantic action.

Caroline missed spinning the week before due to Hope's unexpected arrival, but she was back. She'd made friends with some of the women, bonding over how sore they were and how much a person could sweat. [Shin sweat? Caroline didn't know that was a thing before spin class.] Once a month they went out for dinner and drinks afterwards, eating back all the calories they'd burned off and then some. No regrets!

They always ate outside so them being sweaty wouldn't bother others. [You're welcome, Big D.] They tended to get nearby, cheap Mexican food.

The women were about her age. Seven of them were going out that night which was on the high end. Two also had young kids like Caroline. Another woman was getting married in a few months.

Caroline liked them a lot. Unlike some of the other women she'd met in Dallas, this group didn't take themselves too seriously. [The higher the hair, the closer to God, wasn't one of their mottos either.] It's probably why they bonded. They were the closest Caroline had come to making new friends in her new city.

They knew a version of Caroline's truth; she was a mom with a recently broken engagement.

Settling around two tables pushed together after they sweated a disgusting amount, the first round of margaritas were brought out. Chips, salsa, and guacamole followed quickly. The restaurant was part of an up and coming block. Music poured out from the tattoo parlor nearby. Shoppers and diners strolled along the wide sidewalks. A cool breeze thankfully drifted past. The city was definitely alive.

The women laughed and joked, going around the table to share anything new or funny that happened.

"So," Caroline sang as they waited for their entrees to arrive, "the only new thing is an acquaintance is here with her daughter and living with me for a little bit. She just moved to Dallas and travels a lot, so I've been watching her daughter with the twins when she's gone. Do you guys know any real estate agents?" They probably thought she was asking for Hayley, but she was really asking for her project with Hope for Klaus. [Hayley could use Zillow like everyone else.]

"I don't know how you do it," one said, amazed at all the hats Caroline wore.

Another at the table gave her the name of their cousin who was a real estate agent. Caroline put it on her phone. [Boom! Another item to check off her list. That deserved another margarita.]

"You said 'acquaintance' not friend," Maggie noticed.

Yeah, she did.

Hayley was not exactly a friend really, but also they could be friendly and did occasional friend-type things. [Like she thought Hayley would lend her a tampon if she was still human, but she also thought Hayley wouldn't tell her if she had spinach stuck in her teeth.] They were working together and driving Hayley crazy with her nonsense was kind of fun. [If Hayley made better choices and listened, she'd be doing much better. Duh! If Denial was losing her battle on Klaus, it could at least dig her heels in on Hayley.]

"Well, um," she hedged, enticing the others so much more, "her baby daddy might be an ex?"

They gasped and reached for their drinks, all eyes and ears. Yeah, she liked these women a lot. They were enjoying the soap opera that her life had once again become. She didn't blame them.

"What do you call a guy you might have, but really didn't have a thing with? There was sort of one date, kinda?" Caroline asked.

"Did your mouth touch his mouth?"

"Once," she answered, "well it was one whole day of kissing. Ok fine, he was my one hook up."

The table laughed and reached for more salty, warm chips. "Caroline!" They teased her.

"But he was really into me," she protested. Then she was a little flustered which made her ramble and talk really fast. [You know, her usual.] "So it wasn't really a random thing. It built up over months and months, all this tension between us, and we were both single for the first time. It wasn't really a relationship, but something. He asked me my feelings for him and instead of saying anything, I asked him to give me space…then I kissed him. It felt so good to kiss him, that well, um, more happened." Was she blushing? She felt like she was blushing. [Was it a hot flash? Was that possible?] She dove for her drink to cool off and stop talking.

"But you weren't into him?" Kenya asked skeptically.

"I wasn't ready for him."

Wow. That was actually the absolute truth, she realized.

The table looked on eagerly, ignoring the passersby. Caroline was always entertaining, but usually her stories were about the newspaper guys or more often the twins.

"Klaus is so complicated and I met him when I was in high school. I was way too young for a guy like him."

"Is he German? 'Klaus' sounds German."

"He's technically American. He has a British accent though," she told them, biting her lip.

As predicted…the table exploded and she couldn't help her huge grin.

"Sign me up!"

"Where is he?"

"Does he have brothers?"

Caroline laughed and took another sip.

"Why is his baby momma living with you?"

That was a bit deflating.

"Because I'm the most responsible person she knows," Caroline answered, sitting up, "and she's kind of terrible at life." She smirked and they laughed. "His daughter is so great though. It's really her I'm helping and him too, I guess. Her mom, Hayley, she's not the absolute worst. She's sort of ok, maybe." Caroline looked around the table. "She's one of those women who isn't friends with a lot of women." They nodded, understanding exactly. Caroline had her own problems making friends because of that judginess she was working on. "We're actually getting along pretty well." Something compelled her to add, "Her thing with Klaus wasn't even a thing, so it's not like that's, well, a thing."

There were knowing smiles directed at her.

"Where is this guy?"

"In New Orleans, tied up with family business." [Hahahaha!]

"Is he single?"

"At the moment." [Haha!] Her grin was huge.

"Does he know you're helping?"

"Not yet."

"Does he know you're single?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Have you thought about how he'll repay you?"

Caroline leaned in, hands on the table, and gave them serious looks. "I've spent hours and hours thinking about it."

They all laughed and their entrees were set down in front of them.

Caroline wasn't off the hook though. They still had questions. Important questions!

"So the one time wasn't bad?"

Caroline groaned around a bite of delicious food. What a question. "It was disgustingly amazing. No one should be that good, unless well," she said with a shrug, "it was because it was with me. Maybe I'm just that good," she joked and they laughed again.

"Are you going to call him? Maybe go out with him?"

"Bring him to the wedding," Maggie urged her. Her wedding was in a few months and was going to be a huge event.

"Alaric's probably coming with me," she explained. He was the only single guy she knew at the moment. Sad, but true.

"Would you rather go to an open bar wedding with your ex or the hot guy whose mouth you want touching your mouth?" Kenya questioned her.

"How do you know how hot he is?" Caroline asked quickly.

They laughed at catching her. Caroline rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

"He's unbelievably hot. He also really is in the middle of family business that I'm not sure when will end, but Klaus…Klaus is the bad boy." Caroline took another bite of her loaded Southwestern salad and chewed for a minute. "You wouldn't know it with the accent and good looks, but he's dark and makes everything super dramatic. If there's the hardest and most frustrating way to do something that will aggravate the most people, that's the way Klaus will do it. He has to get his own way. Getting involved with Klaus means letting his bad boy behavior go, right?"

"Why are the bad boys so attractive anyway?" Lily asked. They all sighed in agreement and some side conversations began on the topic.

"It's like I want to slap him upside the head when I don't want to rip his clothes off," Caroline admitted nonchalantly.

"I think I've dated his brother," one joked.

"Is he dangerous?" Maxine asked, getting down to the important things.

Um yeah, Maxine, Caroline wanted to say, he's literally a psycho killer. She was pretty dangerous herself too.

"No," she lied.

"Does he respect you?"

After a couple of bites and a post to the gut which she hadn't forgotten about, did Klaus respect her?

"Yes, I think so. It was rocky at first." [Yup, that was a mega-understatement.] "He treats me well, but it's just…complicated." She was reminded of Klaus asking her how much she liked knowing he was only good to her.

It was heady, that idea, but it was also naive and shortsighted.

Klaus being a dick to everyone but her wouldn't make things ok. It still made him a dick.

"You're his soft spot," Kenya figured out.

"I know," Caroline whined, "and it's romantic in a screwed up way. It makes it seem like I'm the special one, that I'm the one who can fix him."

Caroline knew enough through a lot of heartache [and that one Coldplay song] that Klaus was the only person who could "fix" Klaus.

"He's stubborn and smart and annoying and sweet and awful and romantic and a drama magnet, not in a good way like I am."

They smirked.

"He's done some of the worst things I've ever seen along with the most beautiful." Wasn't that it? He was the best and worst mixed together in a beautiful package.

"Give him a chance."

Isn't that what she wanted to hear when she mentioned him? She didn't have to bring him up.

"Seriously?" she asked them, confused why they were agreeing. Yeah, he was hot with an accent and a soft spot for her, but what about all the other stuff? You know, the cruel stuff?

"You're smarter and you're onto him," Kenya, who was sitting on her right, told her. Setting her drink down, she expanded. "You were in high school. We're all idiots then, especially teenage boys. You don't have to accept his crap. You need him to step up. If he doesn't, you'll know. You said it wasn't a real relationship, so give it one chance. One and done." Kenya smirked. "See how the bad boy's doing…and then I'll know if I should give Andre a chance when I see him at our class reunion," she admitted with a grin that had them laughing.

Tempting…very tempting. Klaus hadn't been a teenage boy in ten centuries though!

"When did you last see him?" Lily asked.

"Four years ago. I also talked to him on the phone right after the twins were born…he was really great." She bit her lip. "Klaus is the guy I'd run to if I was in trouble."

"Like your one phone call from prison?" Lily joked, making them laugh.

"Seriously," she agreed on a sigh.

"Like your phone-a-friend on a gameshow?" Maxine asked.

"Yes," she agreed again on a groan. He'd be so good at that!

"Like you've been kidnapped in Europe?"

She giggled. "He can growl like Liam Neeson too. Yeah, I'd call Klaus for a ride after I figured out my own way free."

Glasses were clinked around the table in agreement. [Girls rule. Boys drool!]

"Maybe he's grown up," Maggie offered.

"Maybe," Caroline sighed, moving the food around on her plate. An unpleasant thought ran through her mind. "I hope so. I hope being a dad has made him more responsible." The problem was he was barely a dad before he was left behind.

Also, there was one other thing. Insecurity reared its head. "What if he doesn't want to go out with me?" She was a mom now with babies. They were part of her life, the best and most important part of it too. She wasn't in the same place she'd been when Klaus was pursuing her. While Hayley didn't tell her, there could have been someone else, or multiple someones, he'd been with since her.

Ugh.

Caroline pushed her plate away.

"Has he seen you?" Maxine asked with a raised brow, making them smile.

"Has he seen you in those pants?" Kenya teased, bumping Caroline's shoulder, making them laugh. Caroline was in black, gray, and pink workout pants and a black tank top. Her long blonde hair was pulled up in a ponytail. Loose tendrils curled up around her face and her cheeks were flushed still. She was a mess, but glowing and beautiful.

Their joking lightened her mood and she took another sip of her margarita. Maybe she was hungry again after all. Tequila certainly made her feel better.

"When he's free [hee, hee,] I'll let you know what happens," she promised, taking another bite.

The conversation moved on to Maggie's wedding and how planning was going, but Caroline had Klaus on the brain. Again. Jeez! It was like a disease, Klaus-brain.

As they were breaking up and going to their cars, Caroline stopped Maxine. She knew a little bit about her. They were the same age. She was dating a Marine. He was stationed in Korea for another two months. She worked as an insurance agent.

"Hey, Maxine, you're a country fan, right?"

The pretty brunette grinned. "I'm a native," she agreed, teasing Caroline's Virginia roots. "Tim McGraw is still so fine."

She almost snorted, but she was focused. "You know Billy Bob's?"

Billy Bob's was a huge country bar in Fort Worth. It was a landmark for everyone who loved country music. It had concerts with big stars dropping in. There was music and dancing [yes, line dancing] every night.

"Of course. My sister loves it."

Caroline leaned her hip against her car. "I want to visit for my blog, see what it's like."

Maxine knew about Caroline's blog. Occasionally someone from their spinning group would give Caroline ideas of places to check out for the column. "It's Texas with a capital T. I'll go with you," the other woman agreed readily and Caroline was thankful she didn't have to ask. "Can my sister come? Actually," she said with a roll of her eyes, "she'll probably already be there."

"Sure. The more, the merrier."

They discussed schedules and agreed on the following Friday.

Caroline was going on a wolf hunt.

Ok, well a werewolf's son-hunt.

Actually, it was the hunt for a son of a possible wolf.

Yup, that was it.

This was going to be good.


	11. 11

Hayley's Friday flight arrived early enough that she could join Caroline to pick up the girls from their last day of library school. On the road, Hayley let her know she'd have to go back again, but she met a guy who she was bonding with. She thought there was an opening to get what she needed from him or at least via him.

At the library, Caroline and Hayley went to the rooms to pick up the girls. The twins were so excited to see their mom and show her what they'd been up to. Hope ran to Hayley and squeezed her tight. Her mom was back!

All five of them met outside. Josie and Lizzie forgot Hayley was coming back that day and they gave her big smiles.

"Hi, Josie," Hayley said with a smile. All the kids had their arms full of the goodies they made during the week. Caroline put them into her tote. "Hi, Lizzie," Hayley greeted the other one, holding Hope's hand.

"No, I'm Lizzie."

"I'm Josie."

They had the most mischievous smiles and Caroline loved it. [Meryl Streep watch out!] They weren't identical twins and their sneaky plans wouldn't ever work, but that they tried? Caroline was so proud of her hilarious, dramatic babies!

"I thought…" Hayley replied, totally lost.

"No, you were right," Caroline answered. "I think today is Opposite Day." The girls freaking loved Opposite Day.

They laughed.

"Did one of the books you read have opposites?" Caroline asked with a knowing smile.

Lizzie nodded and Josie shook her head. Heehee!

"It's Opposite Day only until the car," Caroline reminded them. Otherwise, if the game lasted too long it got too confusing. They were still new to it also.

"Did you have fun?"

The twins started to say yes, but "Nooooo." They cracked up.

"Hope," Caroline asked her with a twinkle in her eye, getting her involved, "did you have fun?"

She grinned that Klaus Mikaelson-grin, getting the gist of the game. "No way."

Comedians, all three of them.

"I bet for dinner you want Brussel sprouts and spinach," Hayley prompted them as they walked to the car.

Hilarity ensued. "Yes!"

"Do you want chicken nuggets?"

"No way."

They were dying and Caroline couldn't help but laugh with them. The most simple things cracked them up, including Cookie Monster, burping, and Opposite Day.

Caroline and Hayley opened the car doors. "Should I stop at the playground on the way home?"

"No!" they yelled in unison.

"Ok."

"No, Mommy," Lizzie told her, grabbing her arm in a panic. "It's Opposite Day."

"I got it, baby, we'll go," she assured her as she picked her up and buckled her in. Hope climbed in the other side to sit in the middle and Hayley helped Josie into her seat.

The twins actually liked Hayley. [Crazy, I know!] Because of Hope and because they'd seen her a few times, they gave Hayley hugs and put their arms up to be picked up by her, not even thinking about it. They especially liked when she pushed them on the swings.

At the playground they squealed and yelled, having too much fun in the Dallas heat. [Texas forever.] Then it was lights out for the twins who fell asleep on the ride home, surrounding Hope who was thrilled her mom was back.

Caroline and Hayley each took a twin and carried them to their beds, sliding off their sandals. They would go to Ric's when they woke up and be back at Caroline's house the next day after morning dance lessons.

As Caroline looked at all the adorable projects the girls had done, Hayley and Hope got to talk. Hayley told her she had to leave again, but she'd be there for the first day of school of course. She'd leave Tuesday and be back Friday afternoon. Getting home for the weekend had become really important because Hope was the priority and the Mikaelsons had to be second. Caroline was right about that. Hope took it well, but didn't love it.

"Bye, Hope. Bye, Hayley," the girls said with hugs for both of them.

"Bye girls," Hayley said with a smile. They were still groggy from their naps, but super cute with their flushed cheeks and sleepy smiles.

"Bye, Josie. Bye, Lizzie."

Caroline brought them to Ric's, giving him half the projects they'd done during the week so he could decorate his fridge and admire his babies' handiwork.

"I love you and I love you. I'll be back in the morning to pick you up for dance class."

"Dance party!"

Caroline laughed, knowing that was coming. The girls had a little one going, shaking their butts around as she kissed them and said goodbye to Ric.

After stopping to pick up a purchase for her upcoming Billy Bob adventure, Caroline had dinner with Hayley and Hope. She worked on her various projects, including setting up an appointment with the recommended real estate agent.

**Necessities/Preferences in Klaus' place to live according to Caroline Forbes, in no particular order:**

1\. Privacy.

2\. Sleek and modern.

3\. Three bedrooms: for him, Hope, and guests [since his siblings were super co-dependent, which was pretty much assured by his own psycho behavior.]

4\. Furnished would be ideal. California king bed if you please. [Although hmm, maybe she should find him a twin bed therefore he wouldn't have room for anyone else? Diabolical and insane, yes? Was she still considering it for him? Yes, that too.]

Before she went to bed, Hope showed her mom the scrapbook. Hayley thought it was a great idea. [Jealous of scalloped scissors much? Haha. Get your own!]

"Want a drink?" Hayley found Caroline in the bathroom, cleaning the mirror.

"I have another mirror to do and I'll meet you outside."

Hayley was sitting with the tequila bottle and two glasses. Caroline hadn't changed into her pajamas yet. She was in a summer dress, but she did pull her hair up in deference to the heat. Hayley was in jeans and a black tank top.

"How do you get the wolf venom?" Caroline asked as she sat down. She'd been curious ever since she decided to get some herself.

Hayley poured the drinks and took a sip before she answered. "I get to know the packs. They're suspicious by nature. Once I build a connection, I tell them the truth about Lucien." She told them the way Lucien tortured and experimented on wolves for his own personal gains. He was dead, but his legacy unfortunately lived on in Marcel.

"Do you tell them you want to heal vampires?"

"Not exactly," she admitted. It had been a learning curve, getting in with the first pack of wolves and refining the way she spoke to them. She'd done it five times successfully. "I'm doing it for Elijah and Kol, but I also don't want a vampire versus wolf war." She took another sip. Caroline did the same. The night buzzed around them. "What Lucien did was wrong. I tell the wolves I'm getting the venom from the seven packs so he could never use them again." She smirked. "That doesn't mean they give me the venom right away."

"Why don't you use compulsion?"

"I'm more wolf than vampire, Caroline. I need their help, but I can get it without stealing it or I'm no better than Lucien. They've been hurt by enough vampires."

Their glasses were empty and Hayley refilled them.

Hayley told Caroline about the guy she'd been talking to in Indiana. His name was Clay.

"Ooooh. I love that name. Is he cute?"

Hayley rolled her eyes. "He doesn't smell bad," she joked, "you know, like Klaus will."

"I know!" He really would reek, Caroline knew, after three years. Gross.

Hayley laughed. She told Caroline about Clay. He'd been the least wary of her and she thought if she could talk to him more, he'd be helpful. Hayley wasn't sure if he'd been turned yet, but she told him about herself. With time, she thought he'd come through.

"Did you find anything on the pack I texted you about?" Hayley asked.

Yikes. Minefield dead ahead. "I'm still looking."

[Ok, it wasn't a complete lie, but it wasn't the truth either obviously. She did find an alleged member of the pack, but she didn't know it. Not for sure.]

Moving on…

"Good," Hayley said, pushing hair behind her ear. "How's Alaric doing?"

"He has an idea, but he won't tell me what it is and I think it's from that book he got. I told him I'd help clean his office and I plan on looking through grimoires. I don't know if you know, Hayley, but I'm a really good snoop." Hayley grinned at her. Yeah, that information didn't surprise her. "Maybe I'll see something he hasn't?" Alaric was good at what he did and probably didn't miss anything, but one never knew

"We're getting close aren't we?" Hayley asked. Getting to deliver the cure to Freya had been a really galvanizing and motivating event.

They were quiet. Someone was mowing their lawn a few blocks away, avoiding the heat of the day. It sounded like a dinner party was being held further out. Some kids were being called inside by their mom off to the west.

"He was involved with someone," Hayley blurted out. Klaus being freed from his cement "grave" was coming closer and closer. Hayley had gotten closer to Caroline too, teasing her about Klaus, but there was something she hadn't mentioned.

"Who? The wolf guy you're talking to? Good-smelling Clay?"

"Klaus."

Caroline's fingers gripped the glass tightly, cracks starting to form, but she shrugged and let go of the glass. "That doesn't matter to me."

[No, her nose did not grow, but it should have. She knew it. You know it.]

Hayley went on unperturbed. "She loved Klaus and she died not long before he was put away."

Caroline really didn't want to listen. She was nosy and curious, but thinking about Klaus and other women made her feel ill. In fact, she didn't want to think about it at all. Never ever. Ever.

"Did he love her?" So much for not thinking about it.

"Definitely as a friend and probably more." Klaus' relationship with Cami grew out of friendship, Hayley knew. "She was good for him."

Hayley genuinely liked Cami and what happened to her was awful. There was something practical about them though. It wasn't an epic romance. Maybe its because their time was short? Cami definitely served a purpose in Klaus' life and Hayley could see why Klaus liked her, but it was harder for Hayley to see why Cami liked him. He was handsome and could be charming, but while Hayley figured out she really was attracted to the danger the Mikaelsons were surrounded by in addition to Elijah himself, Cami wasn't about that life at all.

Cami wanted to change Klaus. There was a huge part of Klaus that would never and did not want to change. Hayley wasn't sure if Cami knew that. On the other hand, Caroline definitely knew that about Klaus. It's why she kept him at arm's length.

As Caroline reluctantly listened and drank the tequila, Hayley told her about Cami. She told her how Cami died and that Cami was a therapist who was trying to help Klaus. She told her a bit about Aurora too. Hayley had no idea where she was. Caroline wasn't bothered by Aurora. She was part of Klaus' past and was crazy. If Aurora even looked in her direction, she'd crush her under her shoe, a killer Louboutin if you please. [Yes, Caroline was a mom and very human, but she was also a vampire. She drank blood every single day. She was powerful and not afraid. Aurora was stronger, but she'd take her on if she had to and win. Caroline had her babies to live for. Aurora did not. That guaranteed the end result.] Hayley told her about Cami's impact on Klaus' life.

"So she told him how good he was?" Where was the hard work? The introspection and actual change in behavior? What kind of professional was she? Seriously. "It's not like he needs to be held accountable for anything ever," Caroline scoffed sarcastically. Boobs. They were all boobs.

"He needs to hear it," Hayley replied, unsure why she was defending Klaus. She was really defending Cami.

Caroline's brow furrowed. "When it's warranted, yes, but how often does a mass murdering psychopath need to hear he's a good boy when he's not?" Yeah, Esther and Mikael royally screwed up their kids, but at what point did Klaus become his own man? Could he ever? Was he the best now he ever could be?

Hayley sighed.

"Are you trying to say he hasn't hurt you, Hayley, because I won't believe you. He hurts the people he cares about and kills the ones he doesn't," Caroline stated fiercely. It really was her worst fear, that Klaus was dangerous and inviting him into her life again would be fatal, not for herself, but those around her. If Klaus did anything and the consequence was that her babies were hurt in any way, she couldn't live.

Leaning forward, Hayley agreed with her. Those months she was kept as a wolf, not being able to see Hope except for once a month were awful. "You're right, but he's doing more for his family right now than he's ever done before."

Huh.

That was actually true. Wouldn't a sign, any sign of Klaus being the bigger, better person mean so much? Wasn't that sign him sacrificing himself for his family? Was Klaus seeing a therapist a good thing? [Ugh though. Wasn't it a cliche for a therapist to have the hots for her patient? Wasn't it the basis for several Lifetime movies? So lame. Seriously, be professional and keep your lady boner to yourself. Yes, judgy Caroline couldn't let it go.]

"Because of her?" Caroline sniffed, an unattractive side of herself exposed once again.

"No. Because of Hope."

Huh.

Caroline wanted to believe it. Having her girls changed her, smoothing some edges and honing others. Had it done the same for Klaus? Wouldn't having a child be the one "new" thing Klaus could experience after all these years? Could the little girl sleeping peacefully inside with his blue eyes and his sensational dimples get him to keep his emotions and choices in check? Did he know the time and place to act viciously and realize it wasn't all the time everywhere? Would Niklaus Mikaelson aka Tom Riddle aka Voldemort aka He Who Shall Not Be Named finally grow up? Had it already happened?

Importantly, it wasn't Klaus hurting someone on his family's behalf. That was easy. It was someone hurting Klaus for his family's benefit and safety. That was sacrifice the likes of which Caroline did not know if he'd ever done before.

"Here's to that," Caroline said with a rueful, but also genuine smile.

Hayley clinked her glass with Caroline's and they both took a big gulp. What was it about Klaus that drove them to drink?

"Do you think he's still hung up on her?" Caroline asked after a few minutes of silence. If Cami died, loving him, in a relationship with him, right before he went away, Klaus might be still in that moment. He might not be the Klaus she remembered, the one who flirted and teased her, the one who pushed her for more. He might be broken and depressed because of the woman who died. Maybe Cami was his epic love and he'd be forever scarred. The idea made Caroline's eyes water, but she blinked the tears away before Hayley could see, pretending to look at something, anything.

"It's been 3 years." Hayley's tone was dry. "They were at the very least very good friends who cared deeply for one another, maybe lovers, and she died an excruciating death as he held her hand. Caroline, are you jealous?"

Getting it together, she played it off. Playing off her feelings regarding Klaus was her normal after all. "Me? Jealous?" She laughed.

Hayley laughed too. Caroline was very entertaining. "That was the fakest laugh I've ever heard."

"It's not really jealousy? Klaus and I aren't a thing," she scoffed, unknowingly using the present tense. Looking at Hayley, she admitted something. They were honest with one another about guys and she'd continue that. "There's a part of me that loves the attention and admiration I get from Klaus, even if I don't always like it. So knowing he was out there, thinking I was better than I am…I don't know," she shrugged. "It's selfish, but I felt special."

"You're still special to him," Hayley told her gently, seeing how vulnerable she looked. "Remember Stefan, who was your boyfriend at the time, and Klaus talked about you?"

"The super top secret conversation you won't tell me about? That one? Hahahahaha. I forgot it existed."

"Yeah. That one," Hayley agreed with a grin as Caroline snorted. "Stefan asked Klaus if he still loved you."

WHAT

IS

AIR?

Every nerve in Caroline's body was poised, ready to react, as the milliseconds took what seemed liked hours to pass.

"I believe the quote was 'I have a lot of complicated women in my life.' I'm one of those women, Caroline. Hope too," Hayley went on, watching all the emotions cross Caroline's face.

Caroline didn't like thinking about those women other than Hope, Hayley, Rebekah, and the freakishly-back Freya, but…

…she leapt up and put her fist into the air!

Suck it, world!

Caroline Forbes was back! Back on top!

Hayley cracked up. Caroline's denial lost out for once and it was really, really good to see.

She did a little Rocky move where she put her hands up in victory and ran around in a small circle.

Nailed it.

Nailing life once again!

"I mean, that's cool," Caroline nonchalantly explained as she sat back down, giggling as Hayley laughed. "Do you think he did that thing where he pauses, looks up, and licks his lips?" She sighed, picturing it perfectly. "It's not exactly a ringing endorsement, but Klaus is so vain." [Yeah, she totally loved that about him.] "He would never tell anyone else if he loved me and that was after we spoke and he promised to keep Stefan safe." [Klaus was pretty allergic to vulnerability after all.] "He did it because he cared for me. He did it for me no questions asked when he had all of these other things going on." [Klaus was awesome when he wasn't the worst! Woo hoo!]

"I was as far away from him as I could be in every way. I just had two girls for somebody else and had no idea what I was doing. Maybe I'm making it into something it isn't, but I'll take it. If Klaus didn't care for me at all any more, he could have said it and comforted my then boyfriend, but he nope, he didn't." [That must have driven Stefan crazy and you know what? Good! He could suck it too!] "Klaus always talked about a future with me and even through…everything…he didn't take that away." She remembered the entire phone conversation. It was a moment of lucidity after crazy days, but Klaus calming her down, encouraging her, giving his condolences for her mom, all of it…was perfect. "I'm judgy and vain and selfish. I'm all those things, including wanting Klaus to still think I'm special."

Klaus had seen people for a thousand years and she was the one who stood out. She was the one he promised to love.

Ugh.

He was the worst! He was the best!

"You're also a great mom and a good friend to him and Hope. Even though I didn't want to, I actually had fun going out with you," Hayley told her. Caroline helped her when not many would. Hayley wouldn't forget that. She helped remind her to live and made her laugh too. What she'd done for Hope couldn't ever be repaid either.

Hayley's words made Caroline smile. Plus, Hayley didn't tell her she was wrong about being judgy, vain, and selfish …and she wasn't! Warts and all, Caroline Forbes was Caroline Forbes. Klaus accepted that and he knew she'd accept it one day too.

"You're actually not the worst of the worst, Hayley, and I think you're a great mom. You did it without help and under really bad circumstances. Honestly, I bet a lot of baby mommas would have run when Klaus got into trouble, but for Hope and for yourself and Elijah you're helping him." She smirked at Hayley. "This hurts to say…but since no one else can…thanks."

Hayley's smile was pleased and it made Caroline feel good to see it.

"We still aren't friends who go clubbing," Caroline reminded her with an arched brow.

"Thank God! To not being best friends."

They toasted.

"Do you feel special Caroline Forbes?" Hayley asked with a grin after their toast.

"Yes, I do," she said, sitting up tall. "His confidence in me means a lot."

"So you won't jump him….after he takes a shower."

"He really will smell," Caroline told Hayley again seriously, making her laugh at Caroline's consistent concern about Klaus smelling, "and not jumping Klaus has suddenly become more of an issue…but once Klaus cleans up his super dramatic mess…I don't know." They'd already done the sex-only thing. She wanted more than casual sex in her life. But did she want that with Klaus? She was jumping way ahead. "Hope needs him. Even psychos must get PTSD too."

She continued. "I don't know what Klaus wants or what kind of state of mind he'll be in. We could be totally wrong and he's going to spiral for centuries, filling the streets with blood or something equally gruesome. Maybe he'll take off completely and not even want to be here." That idea killed because that would be devastating for Hope. "This life could use a little more excitement and certainly some Big D, but I've got two little monkeys who think Elmo is their friend that lives in the television. I have a full schedule of play dates, dance classes, scientific investigations of the local nightclub scene, two jobs, and I want to start my own business." Hayley smirked as Caroline continued. "Our circumstances are so different now from when he promised to be my last love."

"What?"

"My last love?"

"Yeah." Hayley didn't know what that meant.

"Klaus was great in a really unbecoming, gross way, doing a super romantic gesture only a Mikaelson could pull off." He was so awesomingly annoying. "When he left New Orleans to come to my graduation he said that Tyler was my first love and he intended to be my last love."

That was it!

It all clicked for Hayley. That was the kind of stuff that Klaus did with Caroline that Hayley never saw with anyone else, including and especially Cami. That was the difference. That was the romantic heart of Klaus exposed.

"Ok," Hayley said, putting her glass on the table, leaning forward, figuring out that Caroline got the complete opposite experience than she ever did with Klaus and there were way more sides to him that she had no idea about- which was fine, because she wasn't going back there, but she had to ask… "The last time I mentioned Klaus and the sex being so-so, you got a goofy grin on your face and then laughed."

Caroline giggled into her glass.

Ten Minutes?

TEN MINUTES!

It got Caroline going all over again. More like ten orgasms in ten minutes. Her laughter was uncontrollable.

Relief in hearing Klaus' words to Stefan had given her a bit of an adrenaline rush, so she was feeling extra punchy which made the 10 minute thing that much funnier.

"Caroline," Hayley whined, having fun, as Caroline laughed and laughed. "You're doing it again."

That didn't stop Caroline and Hayley couldn't help but join her, not sure why she was even laughing.

"Good times," Caroline sighed, wiping a tear from her eye when she finished laughing.

They were quiet for a moment, sipping the tequila, the insects continuing to make buzzing noises around them.

"What about you and Elijah? Do you want a relationship with him?"

"I shouldn't put my life on hold for the Mikaelsons and if I knew it would be much longer, I would put myself out there…but I've been focused on being a mom. I don't regret that. Hope won't be little like this forever." Hayley traced the condensation on her glass. "It seems like until I give this thing with Elijah a chance I'm sabotaging everything else. Do you know what I mean?" Jackson was a casualty of that sabotage and she wouldn't ever do that again.

"Yeah." Caroline knew exactly what Hayley meant.

"It makes it so much more complicated that he's Klaus' brother." She sighed. She'd been thinking about him and his state for the last 3 years. "I don't know what it's like for Elijah right now. Does he dream? Is it like when he was daggered? Does he think of me? I don't know what Elijah wants either." She took a sip of the tequila as Caroline did the same. "He tried to stay away from me before for his family, I did too, and it just hurt more people. He's so stubborn. There's always one of us holding back."

"What do you want for yourself?" Caroline asked and it felt really good to Hayley that someone, anyone asked that.

"I want to get a place for me and Hope with a big yard. I'm not sure I love Dallas as much as you do yet, but settling down in a place where Hope can go to school and know where her parents are? A place where she's safe and has really good friends?" The term made both of them smile. Their kids were the best. "That's what I want. New Orleans was home because of Jack and the Mikaelsons, but being here? It feels more like home all the time." It was home because it was settled. There was simplicity and routine, but it was also full of energy and opportunity. It was a place she could start fresh. There were vampires of course in Dallas, but it had what she and Hope needed without drama that lasted centuries. Dallas could be their real home.

"Have you ever worked?" Caroline asked, curious.

"Yes, Caroline. I've worked," she snipped as Caroline giggled.

"I didn't know if you had a career in mind or if you'd be a stay at home mom."

"That's always seemed so far away, but," she said, tucking hair behind her ear, "when I was little, I wanted to be a hair stylist."

"I can totally see you doing that." Caroline thought it made perfect sense. Hayley was gorgeous. Her style wasn't like Caroline's at all, but she had a good eye.

"Really?"

"Yeah. You'd need to go to cosmetology school, but you could do it part-time while Hope's in school."

"Caroline, are you trying to organize my life?"

"Would you let me?" Caroline asked quickly with a squint. It was her time to shine!

Hayley laughed and Caroline did too. "I'm just letting you know I trade favors with Ric. I deep clean his kitchen and help with the girls' laundry over there. He mows my lawn and I got a discount on my rent for taking care of the landscaping." She was proud of her sweet deals.

"So I can trade with you?" Hayley asked skeptically.

"There's no way I'm letting you practice on my hair or on the girls for the next decade, but I'd balance your checkbook if you babysat them."

Talking about balancing checkbooks and going back to school? Talking about dating The Original Hybrid and a baby daddy's brother? Things were going to be ok.


	12. 12

Say what now?

23?

Hahahaha.

Seriously, 23?

There was no way she heard him correctly and her hearing was kind of exceptional. For instance, there was some seriously sexy banter going on between a couple not far to her left. It got Caroline going and she almost wanted to cheer them on. [People had sex. People had hot sex. Boy, did she need a reminder. It had been 3 and a half long months! Something had to happen. Aww, was that what it would be like if someone heard her and Voldemort together? I mean, if she was into that sort of thing. Would he whisper sweet nothings in her ear? Would he whisper sweet dirty stuff in her ear? In that accent? Was it getting hot? Did the a/c break?] Right, but…like…that would be weird and she was busy being insulted, not thinking about Voldemort and his dirty talk. [It was definitely being filed in the 'To Be Thought About Later' list in her head though. Don't judge her!]

How did this happen again?

**2 hours earlier**

Nope, she had to go back further than that.

**24 years earlier**

Caroline was born on a Sunday in Mystic Falls, Virginia to Liz and Bill Forbes.

Nope…not funny.

**Monday…**

"Congratulations, Hope. We're really excited for you," Caroline said after taking a billion, no really a billion, photos. She picked Lizzie up into her arms.

It was Hope Mikaelson's first day of school. They included as much pomp and circumstance as they could, trying to fill the Klaus-sized hole. The twins were up earlier than usual and breakfast was huge. Hayley was buzzing around, unexpectedly nervous at having this milestone reached. It was a huge day for Hope and while they weren't all exactly a family, they were something.

The day before, Sunday, the Forbes-Saltzmans had their usual family dinner. Since Caroline was helping clean his office up for the semester, they all went to Ric's school together. While the twins napped on his office couch, the adults looked through grimoires. Caroline found one spell in particular she made a copy of, but it didn't have anything to do with helping Klaus or his family. It was a personal one.

However, Alaric's lead was firming up. He made contact with someone in El Paso, Texas regarding a spell he found in the grimoire he'd had sent over from a library in Taos. While it wasn't the one they believed used on Rebekah, there were similarities, enough similarities for him to make an appointment Saturday. Caroline told him she wanted to go and Hayley agreed to watch the twins for Ric since it was his day to have them.

Caroline might not have told Hayley exactly why they needed her to babysit, but Caroline thought Hayley would want to go instead of her. Being replaced wasn't going to happen. While Hayley had taken upon herself the role of Mikaelson-rescuer, Caroline could absolutely do it too. It's why she was keeping her mouth shut about the possible son of a wolf lead. [Son of a wolf sounded like a good swear alternative. She'd keep it in mind.] After all, Caroline told the girls she could do more and she was going to do more than stand on the sidelines. If that meant keeping Hayley in the dark a wee bit longer, so be it. In the end, they were all working towards the same goal anyway.

"Yeah, we are," Josie repeated, standing right next to Hope who smiled. Hope Mikaelson was in her first day of school outfit- a red sundress and white cardigan with a ponytail. She looked beautiful.

"How do you think she'll do, babies? Good?"

"Yeah," Lizzie answered very seriously, "she can read, Mommy."

"And she runs so fast," Josie reminded her.

Caroline and Hayley laughed as Hope grinned. Those were all the traits someone needed to succeed in their world.

"We have to get going, peanut," Hayley prompted her.

"Good luck, Hope," Caroline said, setting Lizzie down to give Hope a huge hug. The twins jumped in after her.

"Mommy, twin hug!" Hope giggled. "Twin hugs are the best hugs." [Seriously. Adopting Caroline's catchphrases was a thing around the house.] Hope wasn't nervous really. There were butterflies in her belly, but her mom and Caroline promised it would be good and library school was lots of fun. She was being brave. Her dad would probably like that.

"They look it," Hayley agreed.

"Bye guys," Hope waved, favorite pink backpack over her shoulder. A picture of her dad was tucked in the front pocket for good luck. Her lunch was all ready as well as her supplies.

At the brick building, there was chaos outside. Kids were loud, everywhere, and mostly excited. There were a few meltdowns already too. Hayley walked Hope to her kindergarten class. The room was bright, colorful, and also really loud with all the nervous kids. They met the teacher who was very nice. Hope liked her immediately and her blonde hair reminded her of Caroline. Hope found her desk with her name on it. Pretty soon Hayley had to say goodbye.

"You're going to be awesome and learn so much. This is a really, really good thing, Hope. I know your dad wishes he could be here and I know you want him here. I'm working on it. Be good, listen to your teacher, and have a great day. I'll be here to pick you up later." She leaned down to hug and kiss Hope. "I'm so proud of you, baby. I love you."

"Love you, Mommy."

.

.

.

Josie and Lizzie had their noses glued to the window, watching Hope get out of Hayley's car. She was back! They were buzzing with excitement, shaking their butts all over. They missed her a lot.

"Hope! How was it?" Caroline cheered when she walked in, having taken a break from the news article she was writing. Hayley had been playing with the twins before she left to pick Hope up.

"Really good," Hope said with a grin. She liked coming home to all the attention from Caroline and the girls. Plus she had a great day and couldn't wait to share it. There was so much that happened.

Josie and Lizzie were up in her face, fascinated.

"Give her some room," Caroline laughed, backing them up so Hayley and Hope could walk into the living room.

"Was it scary?"

"Nope," Hope answered, "my teacher is really nice, but I didn't know where everything was."

"Ooohhh."

"Did you have to go potty?"

Like Caroline, the dynamic duo asked the hard-hitting questions first.

"Yup. They take us or we hold up our hand like this," she explained, demonstrating, "and the helper lady brings us."

"Oooohhh."

Hayley smirked at the questioning by Hope's really good friends. It was like she was at a press conference.

"It's kinda like library school, but we do math and stuff. My favorite part is recess. We get to play outside and make friends. I made some new friends Macy and Robert, but they aren't my really good friends, just regular friends."

Caroline thought it was very sweet Hope let the girls know they weren't being replaced in her book.

"Do you get to climb trees?" Josie asked, practically jumping up and down when she heard about playing outside.

"Nope. But there's a jungle gym."

Acceptable!

"Do you have any homework?" Caroline teased.

"Yup," she answered, surprising Hayley and Caroline.

Hope marched to the kitchen table and the whole group followed. Carefully, she opened her pink backpack, handing a ton of papers and her empty lunch bag over to Hayley. The girls climbed into their seats to watch the show.

As they observed her every movement as if it was a NASA mission, Hope took out a workbook and a pencil. She wrote her name on the first page, getting a reminder from Hayley on how to spell Mikaelson since it was hard to remember all the letters. She wanted it to be perfect after all. [Yup, another sign of that Klaus Mikaelson DNA.]

When she was finished, she set down her pencil.

Voila!

"Ooohhh," the twins cooed again, impressed. Caroline laughed at how dramatic they were. She loved them so freaking much!

"I had to bring it home and write my name in it. From now on I have to keep it at school. It's very important and we're gonna use it every day."

The twins were all eyes. So cute! Hope told them more details about school, her classroom, the things they did, the people that were there, the older first graders, etc. A confident Hope was great to see. Caroline noticed how much more talkative she was compared to that first day. Although Hope did see her break her mom's neck that time. Huh.

"We want homework too, Mommy."

"Yeah, we do."

What Hope was doing looked like so much fun, even if there weren't trees to climb, that the twins wanted some action.

Caroline laughed at their enthusiasm and got her phone. She knew blackmail material when she saw it. She recorded them pleading with her to give them homework. It would be pure gold in just a few years!

In the end, Caroline gave all 3 homework. She got them to each make a big sign with their names on it. With erasers coming in handy along the way and crayons to give their homework flair [and if Caroline believed in anything, it was believing in flair,] their work was complete.

They marched after Caroline as she taped their new signs to their bedroom doors.

"Now we know where we live," Lizzie told them wisely, making them laugh. Then she turned with wide eyes to her sister. "Josie," she gasped, whispering loudly, "we forgot the present." Josie gasped too when she realized what her sister was talking about.

"Ack!" Caroline yelped, all in like the drama twins. Wonder where they learned it from.

"What present?" Hayley asked as Josie giggled with glee.

"Josie spotted it and Lizzie said we just HAD to get it for Hope's first day of school," Caroline explained as the twins smiled at one another. "Show her, babies," Caroline encouraged them.

Opening the door to Hope's makeshift room, they ran over to the wall and pointed.

A screech erupted from Hope after her jaw dropped. She ran over and hugged the wall.

Yeah, it was a poster of her boyfriend, also known as The Beebs.

The girls laughed and laughed, loving how much she enjoyed their gift, fingers up to their mouths.

"Thank you, Lizzie," Hope said, giving her a sweet hug. "Thank you, Josie." She gave her a hug too. "Thanks, Caroline." A third hug was given.

"You're welcome. We're really proud of you."

"Tonight," Hayley told them, not wanting Hope's special day to be over yet, "my treat. Let's get pizza."

There was much rejoicing!

**Tuesday**

_They see me rollin, they hatin…_

Caroline washed her car while her babies cruised the driveway in their tricycles.

They were all wearing bathing suits, looking gorgeous! Caroline put the radio on so they could stop and dance when the feeling came over them. Which, of course happened often.

A brilliant idea came to Caroline as she finished her car.

"Tricycle wash. It costs one kiss," Caroline called out them.

Intrigued by her offer, not seeing how freaking thrilled Caroline was about her scheme to get kisses from her babies, each of them pedaled up. Caroline got a kiss and they got sprayed by the hose as they cruised by. It was so much fun they did it over and over.

"Mommy, you got fifty million kisses," Josie told her after pedaling through the spray, wiping her face.

"Isn't it great?"

Lizzie laughed.

"I'm playing with my two very best favorite people, my babies, in the sunshine AND I got fifty million kisses. Best. Day. Ever."

In the afternoon, she brought the girls over to Ric's and picked Hope up from school. Hayley had dropped her off in the morning and flew back to Indiana.

Before returning home, Hope and Caroline worked on their super secret project, meeting with a real estate agent. The first two places they saw weren't right. [Too small and too shabby chic respectively.] However, the agent had a better idea what to look for. It shouldn't be long before something suitable came from him.

**Wednesday**

It was the first time Caroline had been home without at least one child around for most of the day in a long time. It meant some deep cleaning was done, a lot of queued blog posts were written, and two freelance articles were completed.

That evening Caroline went to spin class. The spin spot shared a babysitting program with the gym next door so Hope was covered. Sweating her tight butt off always made her feel strong.

"I miss my dad," Hope told her as Caroline tucked her into bed that night.

With the distraction of school, Hope hadn't said anything to Caroline about him in a little while. Going apartment hunting was a nice sign of a future with Klaus, but he still wasn't there.

"It's weird to say it, but I guess I miss him too," Caroline revealed, patting Hope's arm as the little girl snuggled into the sheets. All that thinking about him made Caroline want to see his face again badly to be honest. [She did see him the night before in a hot, hot dream. No, no elephants were involved this time. Just Klaus and some ice cubes. Hello! He was back in the fantasy rotation, playing a featured part she realized when she looked back at how often he showed up. Hmm.] Then she gave Hope a grin, getting her mind out of its sexy Klaus gutter. "Do you want to see how he talks? He talks with his hands a lot."

"Yeah," Hope agreed, rolling onto her side, getting sleepy.

Caroline stood back so Hope could get a good look. "He starts like this."

Putting her hands behind her back, she began to pace in the small room. "Blah, blah, blah."

"When he says something he thinks is very clever, he does this," she explained, stopping and putting one finger in the air, making a point.

Hope smiled.

"When it's time for him to say how great he is, and Hope, he loves himself very much, he does this," she said, spreading her arms out wide. She laughed and Hope giggled.

"Then his hands go back here while he waits for you to agree and tell him how amazing he is," she teased, putting her hands behind her back again.

Hope's dimpled grin was so much like her dad's. Caroline's breath caught as she leaned down to kiss Hope on the head. "Dream about him and he'll be there," she promised. "Goodnight, Hope."

"Goodnight, Caroline."

**Thursday**

Another quiet day, well other than her babies who were quite loud and they were now obsessed with "homework." Caroline got them preschool workbooks they couldn't get enough of. [Caroline figured that was Alaric's side of them coming through. Their Beyonce dancing was all her, thank you very much. Nurture versus nature, although maybe Jo was part of the Beyhive. The idea made Caroline smile.] Josie and Lizzie's smiles full of pride when they matched shapes on a piece of paper were glorious! Oh, she loved her babies so much.

**Friday**

While Caroline brought Josie and Lizzie back to their dad's, Hayley landed and picked Hope up from school. All three, Caroline, Hayley, and Hope had dinner together. It's when Caroline dropped two things on Hayley; a birthday party the following day Hope had been invited to by one of her new classmates [Caroline bought the present and wrapped it already] and information to sign Hope up for soccer [which she'd totally love.] As Hayley tried to take it all in, Caroline took a shower. Such fun!

Caroline's son of a wolf hunt was on.

"I'm meeting some friends out tonight," Caroline nonchalantly mentioned.

Hayley looked up from the book she was reading with Hope, shocked by the sight in front of her. "What are you wearing?"

"Shhhh," Caroline hand-waved her away.

It had taken a lot of time to come up with the right outfit.

In the end, Caroline settled on tight jeans, a vintage concert T-shirt that had been stylishly cut up, and the Tony Lamas she bought herself. [When she meant 'bought herself' she meant she paid for them out of her bank account, but really? Thanks, Klaus! If she was hunting a wolf for him, he could pay for her disguise. Duh.] Her blonde hair was curled and voluminous. Her lipstick was on the peachy side. Bronzer gave her a golden glow.

She felt like J-Simps in The Dukes of Hazard who was her style inspiration.

Hayley smirked. If she had the stereotype of a Texan woman in her head, Caroline was it come to life. "You have friends who couldn't go clubbing with you?"

"As if you didn't love it," Caroline scoffed, picking up her wristlet with just the basics inside. "It's a country music place." Hayley's wince made her grin. "I'm going with a girl from my spin class and her sister."

"You spin?"

Blowing Hayley's mind was so much fun and much too easy. Where was the challenge? Seriously, she needed excitement and adventure! She had a lot of hopes pinned on the night ahead.

"She gets so sweaty, mommy," Hope told her with a dimpled Mikaelson grin.

"Do you think I keep this naturally?" she snarked, spinning and showing off her ass. Looking good, Forbes. Looking good.

Hayley grinned.

Like the face masks, spinning made Caroline feel good and shouldn't that be chased in life, human or vampire? She'd dealt with enough crap to not enjoy things. No apologies.

"I do get so sweaty and then I chase Hope down for a hug." Hope laughed, that had been fun, and Hayley smiled. "Goodnight, Hope. You'll be asleep when I get home. See you tomorrow, babe." Caroline gave Hope a kiss on the head. "Don't wait up, mom," she told Hayley as she shut the door behind her.

It was a long drive out to the Fort Worth Stockyards. The sun was sinking towards the horizon leaving behind pinks and oranges as Caroline took the highway. In her head, she ran through her plan once again. She wanted to find the wolfy son and figure out where he lived which is also where the dad lived. Maybe he'd tell her? Maybe she'd see his license? Could she pick his pocket? [There was a host of life skills she needed to work on.] She wanted to keep a low profile. Triggering wolf drama [hahaha no pun intended] wasn't her goal. Compulsion was her ace in the hole.

In the spacious parking lot, she sent a text to Maxine that she was there. She also checked out the kid's Facebook page again, memorizing his face. He had light brown hair and brown eyes. She couldn't tell his height. He seemed to have an affinity for PBR. His name was Brandon and he last updated his page the day before. [His brother's name was Stevie Ray. Someone really liked the guitarist.]

From the outside, Billy Bob's was enormous. Finding Brandon, if he was even there, would take some smarts. Good thing she had them.

Maxine texted back that she was inside so Caroline fluffed her hair once more before leaving her car.

A twangy voice greeted her as she stepped in. Past the souvenir stand she could see dance floors to the left and right. Wood was everywhere- the floor, walls, stools, tables, etc. It was almost hard to see when everything was brown. Billy Bob's was large enough that while there was probably a hundred people there, it looked almost empty. More people were swarming in behind her.

The air smelled like peanuts and Bud Light. In the far left corner there were people getting ready for a line dance lesson. Her grin was huge. [Don't mess with Texas y'all. Maybe it was time for an FNL rewatch. Tami Taylor would be an excellent spirit guide.]

Walking to her right, Caroline kept her eyes peeled for her quarry, Brandon, or Maxine.

It was the latter she found first.

"Caroline!" Maxine waved her over, Corona Light in hand. "What do you think?"

"It's all my hopes and dreams," she said with a laugh.

"Jessie," Maxine called her sister, tapping her on the shoulder. "This is Caroline. Caroline, this is my sister Jessie."

Jessie was the younger version of Maxine. The family resemblance was strong. Dark hair, dark eyes, stylish thick brows with gorgeous complexions.

"Hey," Caroline greeted her.

"Hey." Her smile was kind. "Do you want a beer?" Jessie was surrounded by a group of 20 somethings. They were a cowboy hat and boot crowd, but they also had tattoos and smart phones in hands. These weren't your grandparents country fans.

"I'd love one."

One of Jessie's friends closest to the bar got one for her. As they sipped, Maxine told Caroline about the layout, pointing out the different areas. "A live band will come on at 10."

"Do you come here a lot?"

"Every few months. It's fun, but too big for me. Jessie's the one who is always here."

There was no time like the present, so Caroline pulled out her phone. "This guy at work," she lied, "his cousin comes here a lot. He told me to say hi." She showed the photo of Brandon from his Facebook page to Maxine. Caroline felt bad lying to Maxine, but it was for the greater good. "Do you know him?"

Maxine studied it. He looked like a lot of guys she'd seen there before. "No. Jessie, do you know him? Caroline wants to say hi."

Jessie came over and checked it out.

"He's a coworker's cousin and a regular, I think," Caroline added, sipping her beer.

"I might have seen him?" Jessie called a friend over. "Ben, you know this guy?"

An enormous dude with fully tattooed arms sauntered over, big combat boots clunking along the wooden floor.

Caroline gulped, not sure her lie was paying off dividends. Was it good or bad that Brandon's picture was being passed around so much?

"I've thrown him out before," Ben agreed. "Why?"

"A guy I work with told me to say hi. That's all," Caroline shrugged it off and the others thankfully let it go. Remember the keeping a low profile part? It was hard for her.

"Ben works here part-time," Maxine whispered when it was just the two of them again. "You can see why."

"Do you think he spins?" Caroline asked with a cocked head, making Maxine laugh which was her goal.

"Wanna walk around?"

Caroline did…so they did. Caroline kept her eyes peeled, amused at how some cliches about Texans were coming to life right in front of her eyes and others were totally torn apart.

"Did they teach you to line dance in Yankee Virginia?" Maxine teased when they stopped to get fresh beers near the line dancing lessons.

Caroline grinned. "I know the Cotton Eyed Joe. It was THE dance in third grade." She'd have to teach her babies when they were older.

Maxine laughed. "Wanna try?"

Why not? She was dressed as Jessica Simpson as Daisy Duke, playing James Bond, while in an enormous bar at the Fort Worth Stockyards waiting for a son of a possible newly turned werewolf. Line dancing wouldn't exactly be the weirdest thing she'd be doing.

Sliding into the back row of the lesson, the two women valiantly learned the line dance, having a great time. Caroline had natural rhythm and she couldn't wait to tell Klaus that she line danced for him. [That had to be worth something, right? Like a Tiffany bracelet? A new car? The possibilities were endless.]

Feeling relaxed and having fun with her pal Maxine, Caroline noticed the crowds were growing. There were masses forming at the bars. People shouting to be the heard were fighting for superiority over the banjos and steel guitars.

Jessie came running from out of nowhere. Her eyes were wide with excitement. She breathed one word to her sister. "Dierks."

"No!"

"What?" Caroline asked, looking from one sister to the other.

Maxine licked her lips. "The things I would do to that man."

"Who?"

"Dierks Bentley is giving a concert. Tonight. Here," Jessie told them with a squeal.

Even Caroline knew who Dierks Bentley was and that was awesome, except how would she find the wolf-son in an even bigger crowd. Seriously, Dierks, get it together.

She had to get a move on. No more line dancing until her mission was accomplished.

"I'm going to check in on my girls," Caroline said, picking her phone out of her back pocket.

"Meet us back there." Jessie pointed to where they'd started the night. "Ben says he can get us up close."

Maxine squeaked and Caroline laughed, seeing a whole new side of her.

"I won't be too long," Caroline told them, wandering off to a far corner, biting her lip. She still hadn't seen the kid.

Swiping her phone, Caroline didn't have any messages from Ric. The twins were fine. It was 8:47pm. The concert was supposed to start at 10, but once people heard it was a country superstar playing for them, she figured everyone would be huddling up even earlier.

Inspiration struck!

Bingo!

Yes, Brandon the possible son of a wolf posted that night…from Billy Bob's on his Facebook page! Caroline just had to find him.

Energized and intent, she set her shoulders, putting her assets on display, and got her ass in gear.

Five minutes later she found him in a crowd not far from the souvenir stand. Nailed it!

One minute after that she accidentally on purpose bumped into the infamous Brandon from behind. With her drink in her hand.

"I'm so sorry," she told him with wide eyes. He stepped back to swipe at his hand which is where droplets of her beer clung to his hand from her spilled bottle. His friends around him made room to avoid the splash. "I got pushed into you," she lied, adding in a glare to really sell her tale of woe.

"You're cute, maybe this wasn't so bad," she flirted, giving him a look through her lashes, ignoring his friends, particularly the girl giving her the Death Stare. Sorry sister. Her jealousy meant nothing. Caroline meant business.

"Maybe it wasn't," Brandon agreed, swiping his palm across his faded blue jeans. His initial surprise and anger disappeared when he checked Caroline out.

Getting rid of the bros and the jealous one was her first priority. "Wanna dance?"

After taking a swig from his own bottle and burping under his breath [ew- also, did Klaus ever burp?] Brandon set out his hand. After Caroline set her now empty bottle down, she took it.

Son of a Wolf led her out onto the dance floor to their left. Couples were strutting around the floor to some old fashioned songs. The edge of the floor was sticky from spilled drinks. Boots stomped all over, creating their own addition to the music.

There was just one problem.

Caroline had no freaking clue how to two-step.

Brandon did though. He got behind Caroline, took her hands, and they were off before she had any clue what she was supposed to be doing.

With fumbles and darted glances at the couples in front of her, Caroline did her best to hold on for the ride. Klaus so owed her for this! There was no time to talk to Brandon. It was all Caroline could do to keep her yelps and squeaks to herself.

Forward and then back, spinning and twirling, almost falling over, Caroline managed it. [Being naturally talented was not always a curse, y'all.]

Praise the Lord. The song eventually came to an end.

"I'm a little rusty," Caroline said, holding back a snort. Someone should have videotaped that masterpiece. "Since I spilled my drink on you and stepped on your toes, can I buy you a beer?" Subtle, right?

Brandon looked over at his friends and Caroline knew she was losing him. She put her hand on his forearm. Compulsion was her last resort, but she had one other card to play first.

"I guess I should see my friends anyway," she told him when he didn't answer right away. Wolves did love to chase after all.

"My treat," Brandon piped up, forestalling her from going far.

Discreetly steering him to the quietest part of the bar nearest them, Caroline continued to work her magic.

"Are you even 21?" she cooed, pushing a hip out and leaning forward so he could get a look at her rocking cleavage.

"I'm in here aren't I?"

Ok, wolf-guy needed to work on his flirt game.

"Let me see," Caroline asked, wiggling her fingers, dying to get a look at his license. It would tell her what she wanted, his address.

"You're forward aren't you?" he asked with a little glitter in his eyes.

Whoops. Maybe she went too far. Some guys didn't like women who spoke their minds. [Klaus kind of loved that about her.] Playing hard to get seemed to be this guy's kryptonite.

Shrugging with a sigh, Caroline ran her fingers along the wooden bar. "Some people think I look young too. People tell me I look 17 a lot." A roll of her eyes accompanied her words.

"Really? I thought you were 23."

Say what now?

23?


	13. 13

What. The. Fudge.

"Seriously?"

He was joking, right?

Being taken for 23 wasn't really a bad thing considering she had 3 year old twins and in fact she was actually 24 years old, but that didn't mean she wanted to hear she looked it! Her clothes, hair, and general style were more sophisticated than they were, even in her J-Simps as Daisy Duke disguise, than when she was 17. She knew she looked older than that and had cultivated it, but she absolutely did NOT look 23.

Her vanity was her thing and this boob was messing with it.

Placing her hand on the son of a wolf's shoulder, she stared into his eyes. No more Ms. Nice Secret Agent. "Show me your license."

Obediently, Brandon gave her what she wanted which slightly mollified her. Only slightly though.

Her eyes immediately honed in on his address, memorizing it. Mission accomplished.

"Why did I do that?" he asked, confused, as he returned his license to his wallet when she handed it back over only considering keeping it and screwing him over for a few seconds. [Waiting in a DMV line would serve him right. That place would age anyone.]

"Must be the command in my voice. Mommy kink?" she asked with her "killing you slowly in my mind" smile. She picked out her own phone and made a note of his address so she wouldn't forget it. "I've got to go."

Leaving him dazed behind her, Caroline took a deep breath.

Then she spun, unable to let it go.

Twenty-freaking-three?

Compelling him again, "Don't be an asshole. If you guess a woman's age subtract 3 to 5 years, unless that puts her under 18 because that's creepy. Are you creepy, Brendon?"

"Yes."

His honest answer made her snort. "Stop it. Be considerate and don't treat women like disposable tissues put here on earth to serve you. Treat them like you want to be treated." That brought to mind a host of men from her past. "That means losing the douche schtick." Ok, so frat boy Brendon might be getting more than he deserved, but Caroline was feeling righteous. A spotlight should have shone down on her from on high as she spoke her truth. [Can I get an "Amen?"] "And I don't look 23!"

Fueled with adrenaline, Caroline left wolf-son behind.

The sounds that had faded to the background like the steel guitar playing over the speakers, the hiss of beer bottles being opened, the laughter between friends and couples all came forward and Caroline embraced them. Part 1 of her super awesome plan had been achieved and despite the gross, unnecessary personal insult, slander even, she was in control.

Maxine and Jessie were happy to see her when she returned to them and as promised, they got Caroline up front for the impromptu Dierks Bentley concert.

While Caroline did not know a single word, she sang completely wrong lyrics at the top of her lungs along with her friends. The atmosphere when the superstar came out was electric and Caroline realized how much she'd missed adult events like it.

"Max, I had a great time. Thanks for letting me tag along. I need to get going. See you Wednesday?"

Maxine reached in and gave Caroline a quick hug, still high on seeing Dierks up close and personal. Those curls! That voice! "I'll be there. Are you ok to drive?"

"Totally." Caroline pulled out her car keys.

"We should go out more often."

Completely genuinely, Caroline agreed. Her friend was funny and smart. If her babies could make new friends, maybe she could too. "I'd love it. Goodnight." Caroline caught the eye of Maxine's sister, giving her a wave. "Goodnight, Jessie."

"See ya, Caroline."

With a small wave to Jessie's friends, Caroline made her way outside.

Compared to when she'd parked, the lot was completely full. The night had cooled off and it was pleasant. Stars littered the sky. The rush of success and having a fun night out had her blood fizzing, but she could use a little liquid nutrition.

Spotting a guy about to open his car door three rows way, Caroline whooshed over, her blonde hair streaming behind her. Breathless, she compelled him to be quiet. Drinking from him discreetly since they were in the open, Caroline got her fill and licked her lips. Like Red Bull running through her veins, she felt strong. The man was fine and she made sure he was well enough to drive home. He'd have quiet the hangover the next day.

Unable to just drive home, Caroline set the possible wolf's address into her GPS.

The freeways were quiet as she meandered into a working class neighborhood outside Dallas.

Ranch homes were set evenly on both sides of the street. Bikes and basketballs on lawns were waiting to be played with the next day. A handful of lights were still on inside homes. Faint blue lights filtered through curtains indicating late-night television watching.

Parking two houses down away from the address, Caroline observed it. A late model Chevy truck was in the driveway. The house itself wasn't much to look at. There were no personal touches like a unique mailbox or planter boxes with colorful flowers. In other words, it was a house a single dad would live in, which is what Caroline anticipated.

In the quiet, Caroline pulled out her phone again almost ready to go home. She wasn't going to keep watch. It was a matter of doing a little preliminary research. Her fingers were drawn to her Contact list.

"One message is as good as a million," a crisp British voice intoned.

Hearing it made her smile, although it was bittersweet. Klaus had been gone 3 years and his voicemail wasn't full?

"Hey, Klaus," she said quietly, her fingers tracing along her steering wheel. "I know why you couldn't call me back when I blew up your phone a few months ago. You have a pretty good excuse," she joked, not thinking it was very funny. "I'm ok. We're ok. Hope's ok." She sighed. "We're working on getting you out. We're close. Hang on." She knew she was close to the end of the recording time even though she wasn't ready and had so much more to say. "Goodnight, Klaus."

Feeling a little lighter after sending her message, Caroline restarted her car and drove home.

Dance class Saturday morning was amazing. Josie and Lizzie were learning a new routine. They were going to be dressed as ladybugs and Caroline knew she wouldn't be able to take it. It was easy to make them the most adorable kids ever, but dressing them as insects as they spun in circles put it over the top!

"You are different and you are perfect," she reminded them each with a kiss.

Josie was in pink and Lizzie in green for the day.

"I love you and I love you. Have so much fun with Hayley and Hope. Daddy and I will be home about dinner time." Kisses were pressed to chubby cheeks.

"Bye, Mommy."

"Bye, Mommy."

Caroline smiled at Hayley and Hope, brushing her hand over Hope's dark hair. "Have fun with my babies."

They had a full day planned. Hope had her new friend's birthday party to attend that afternoon. Hayley was looking into signing Hope up for soccer and would have all day to entertain three little ones all by herself. Fun times!

Slipping on dark sunglasses, Caroline walked to Ric's house.

"Why aren't we driving?" she asked with a yawn, not having gotten enough sleep due to her late night adventures.

"It's 9 hours one-way," he answered dryly as he locked the door to his house and led her to his car.

She laughed. That was a pretty good reason not to drive.

One of his brows lifted. "That's not including bathroom breaks. How can a vampire have to pee as often as you?"

What could she say? Nothing, so she shrugged. No regrets!

Rather than driving 9 hours from Dallas to El Paso, aka a nightmare, Ric and Caroline were taking a mere one hour flight. Air travel and geography were amazing. God Bless Texas, y'all.

When they landed, they picked up a rental car. Alaric set the address into the GPS and they were off.

"How do you know this witch?" Caroline asked, propping her feet up on the car's dashboard, getting comfy. She would have fallen asleep during the flight, but it was too short! By the time they got up to cruising altitude they were practically getting ready to land.

"I don't. One of the grimoires donated to the school comes from her coven. I reached out and she was willing to meet with us."

Alaric smoothly changed lanes, literally and figuratively.

"Why are we doing this, Caroline?"

"Umm…we're meeting the witch you found?" Was old age already getting to him?

"I mean, why are we helping the Mikaelsons?"

This again. Seriously? Her feet fell flat to the floor.

"You could have given me the address and I would have done this on my own. Why are you doing this?"

His mouth tightened. "This is what I do as my career. I love puzzles and Rebekah's hex is a challenging one, but I don't really want to help them."

"Hope's great," Caroline told him testily.

"She is. She's not the one I'm worried about," he told her, putting the blinker on and taking an off ramp.

"Will he come to Dallas? Be around our kids?"

"He hasn't said. He's not picking up my calls," she snarked. Then she purposely lightened her tone. "How badly do you think he smells right now? How long do you think his hair is? Will he look like Tom Hanks in Castaway?"

The denial that once kept her from thinking about Klaus was keeping her from letting Alaric probe too deeply.

Klaus was being held captive. Who knew exactly what came after getting him free? Did the details matter? It mattered that he was out. She couldn't articulate exactly why to herself never mind her baby daddy, but it mattered that Klaus was rescued.

"Caroline." Her denial wasn't working for Ric which was sort of ironic since he was in denial about their ridiculous engagement. Burn! [Well sort of burn, because she agreed to it. Whoops! Self-burn.]

"I don't know. He's in trouble and I'm going to free him." She glared at him, conviction in her tone. "I brought our kids to him a few months ago to keep them safe. You were fine with that."

"Between Rayna and Klaus, I'd want Klaus on my side, but I don't know that he's loyal to anyone other than his family, who he routinely daggers by the way."

As if she'd forgotten.

But didn't his family trust him to keep them safe? Wasn't that exactly why they were all linked to him? Wasn't he finally shouldering the burden? If he trusted them, could he trust anyone else?

Biting her lip, Caroline was riddled with questions. The irony was that she wouldn't get answers until Klaus could answer them himself and could then put any words in actions. She had to consider her own values and lines she would not let be crossed either by herself or those in her life. She had to consider what would happen if any one of them was challenged. It would be up to Klaus to decide what he wanted or could handle. [Being an adult was hard. Tax returns. Rent. School loans. Managing healthy relationships. Sudoku.]

Again, maybe Klaus would run off and slaughter an entire country, too busy for the Big D? Maybe he'd spend the rest of his life trying to bring his pal/therapist/lover Cami back to life? Maybe Klaus wanted absolutely nothing to do with Caroline. He'd already changed without her after all.

"I don't know what Klaus will do, but he's the strongest, most powerful person I know. He's not a good man. I know it." Having a child and a newfound sense of responsibility weren't enough to erase a thousand years of villainy, but those years were his past. It was his present Caroline was concerned with and his future that held promise. "He can be decent though and I believe he respects me. I think he'd help me if I needed it, including helping our girls which is why I went to him and I'm going to get him out Ric."

Thoughts ran through Ric's head, including the improbable one that Klaus would defend his girls if needed, but the most important thoughts were about keeping his girls safe and maybe that was from Klaus and not by Klaus. They left Mystic Falls to put that dangerous life in their past. It stayed there except when Stefan came sniffing around Caroline. Her love life couldn't interfere with their kids. It couldn't.

Klaus cared about one person. Klaus.

"How many times has Klaus hurt you? The girls need their mom."

"Don't you think I know that?" Caroline was past uncomfortable and was frankly insulted. Hadn't she demonstrated time and again her fierce love for her babies? That Ric would question her burned and she had ammunition of her own. "I remember once Klaus saved me from you, Ric. Do you?"

He shot her a dark look. "That was different."

Caroline rolled her eyes. It was "different" when it came to him, but not to anyone else. How convenient and trite.

They turned onto a smaller street.

"He killed Jenna."

"And Mayor Lockwood. He hurt me. He hurt Hayley. He hurt Elena. He hurt his family. You're right. He can't hurt me again. He can't hurt you. He cannot hurt our girls. If there is any hint he does any of that, he's gone for good." Ric nodded and Caroline was glad they cleared it up even if she thought it was the MOST OBVIOUS THING IN THE WORLD! "In the meantime, he's a big boy. We'll get him and his family out and they make their own choices."

"As I plant a white oak tree in my yard," he teased with a twinkle in his eye as they pulled onto another street, realizing he'd maybe gone a little far in how he lumped Caroline in with them.

Caroline rolled her eyes with a grin. Ric would probably come up with some approach to neutralize any of The Originals even if white oak couldn't be found. That's how he needed to feel safe in case anything happened and based on his past, Caroline understood it. He was protecting what was his just like Klaus was. Just like she was too. As long as Ric respected her they would be ok.

"Before you dig the hole, could you make sure to unlink the other vampires from his line?" she asked, batting her lashes, not knowing she was already unlinked from Klaus.

"Maybe," he joked and she laughed. Talking about Klaus and boundaries and the future was hard, but being coparents meant they had to talk because the possibility of Klaus being in her life meant him being exposed to their vulnerable girls.

They were quiet as they navigated through an upscale neighborhood.

"I can't imagine leaving a toddler and coming back to a 5 year old." There was part of Alaric that felt bad for Klaus as a father…until he remembered Jenna.

"She has his smile," Caroline mused. Then she laughed. "The other day, I was picking up the living room when I heard them playing together in the girls' room. Hope asked them if they wanted to see what kindergarten boys did."

"Pull my finger. It was pull my finger, wasn't it?"

She giggled. "Good guess! Nope, but you can imagine how interested I was so I spied on them." She grinned at Alaric. "She taught the girls how to dab."

His laughter filled the car and she giggled along with him.

"This is how Lizzie does it," she explained. Then she threw her arm across her face and left it there.

He laughed again.

"Josie's slightly better at it," she remarked. Josie bent her elbow a little when she dabbed, but if you didn't know what they were trying to do, it was confusing. "I had to run because I was laughing too hard. They're so cute!"

More road passed by until they pulled into a driveway.

Looking at the house in front of her…"Whoa!" Putting her purse over her shoulder, she asked, "Are you sure this is the right place?"

Alaric had to do a double-take too.

The house in front of them was enormous. There were mature trees lending shade to a bright green front yard. A fence blocked the backyard, making the property size unclear. The house itself was one story and stucco painted a pale brown. There were windows everywhere. It was elegant and gorgeous.

"We went around the country club," he answered as he got out of the car.

The heat came up through Caroline's sandals when she stepped out. Her white sleeveless top remained crisp despite the travel. Her skirt swished around her thighs. Unconsciously she pulled her hair up off the back of her neck and over one shoulder. It had been comfortable in the car with the air conditioner blowing. It was scorching on the dark asphalt.

Quickly, Caroline pressed the doorbell next to the absolutely enormous mahogany door. It was impressive. Compared to her best friend Roger's place, it was the Taj Mahal.

"Are we early?" Caroline asked, watching as Alaric began to sweat. His jeans and polo shirt must be sweltering.

"Only a few minutes," he answered, checking his phone for the time. He'd made an appointment.

The huge door swung open and cool air came rushing at them.

"You must be Ric and Caroline," a petite dark haired woman greeted them. Dressed in olive green linen pants that somehow remained wrinkle free and a black scoop neck top, she was elegant, fitting her surroundings. Her makeup was subtle as was her expensive jewelry. She looked to be in her 30s, but with witches one never knew.

"Mercedes, I'm Ric. This is Caroline."

Hands were shook.

Mercedes opened the door wider and gestured them into the tiled interior.

Alaric stepped into the cool foyer, relishing being out of the heat.

"Can you, um, invite me in?" Caroline asked politely, tucking a curl behind her ear.

Mercedes looked at her closely because of the unexpected question. "No."

"You agreed to meet with us," Ric reminded her softly, looming over the petite woman standing in front of Caroline in the doorway.

"To answer questions about the grimoire," she agreed.

Feeling inadequate, Caroline shuffled her feet. "Give me the keys and call me when you're done," Caroline told him, putting her hand out.

"Caroline's invested in this," Ric protested.

"My husband made me promise one thing when we got married, no vampires are invited in the house." When Mercedes told her husband about the supernatural world he had no idea existed outside of fiction, it was vampires that concerned him the most. As natural enemies to witches, it was easy for Mercedes to promise they wouldn't be invited into their home. It was their sanctuary.

"It's fine," Caroline said, swallowing past a lump in her throat. Not everyone accepted her as what she was and most of the time she was ok with that. This woman didn't know her, didn't know her story. The important thing was to get Rebekah the help she needed. See! She was mature! Suck it, haters!

Ric saw the look on Caroline's face and moved closer to Mercedes. "I was in the middle of marrying my fiancee, Jo, when she was killed by her own brother during the ceremony."

The witch's startled eyes flew to Ric's.

"She was born into the Gemini coven, but left it behind." A gentle smile came over his face. "She practiced medicine, not magic. She saved my life." His small smile turned into a big one. "Jo was pregnant at the time…with twins." Slipping his phone out, Ric found a picture of the girls. "Josie and Lizzie."

A smile came over Mercedes' face at the little ones who had big grins on their faces. One light and one dark.

"Jo's dad performed a spell to transfer them into the womb of the person there at the wedding who was best capable of protecting them." His eyes met Mercedes', showing strength and vulnerability there. "They're alive because that person was Caroline."

Shocked, she looked from Ric to Caroline and back again. "A vampire carrying human twins?"

"Witch twins," Ric clarified. "They're siphoners which means they almost killed Caroline while in the womb. They took more and more of her magic until they almost killed her."

"Again, you mean, and they didn't," Caroline added softly.

"She isn't your typical vampire," Ric said dryly, not sure if there was a bigger understatement than calling Caroline typical.

Caroline's smile was grateful. Her story might not be enough to let Caroline into Mercedes' home, but it's what led her into her babies lives and she had nothing to feel bad about. The reminder felt great.

Mercedes looked her up and down, using her powers to get a sense of the two strangers in front of her.

Without a word, she left them.

"What just happened?" Caroline asked, crossing her arms over her chest. There was rude and there was rude. Pretty sure abandoning people at the front door was the second kind.

Ric shrugged, handing his keys over to Caroline. "I'll make lots of notes." He grinned at her. He'd tried his best. "I can put you on speaker."

It shouldn't have made her laugh, but she couldn't help it.

She flew all the way to El Paso to get grilled by Alaric in the car and get shafted at the door of a mansion, but she could listen in on speakerphone. This was her life. These were her choices.

A minute later, Mercedes came out from the side of the house, confusing Ric and Caroline as to where she had been. "Follow me, Caroline," she called her over.

Caroline did as requested and watched as Mercedes held the yard gate open, leading her into the spacious backyard.

"I may not be able to invite you into the house, but I can invite you here," she said with a kind smile, gesturing to the covered patio with the ceiling fans already working furiously in the shade. "Let's get started."


	14. 14

Caroline followed behind Mercedes, taking in the gorgeous pool to her left as they circled the house. Inflated balls floated across the water along with a blown up basketball hoop. Slate gray chaises were strewn around the concrete landing. An enormous closely cropped lawn fairly glowed green around it.

She was directed to a teak chair in the shade, part of the outdoor dining area. [Did she mention it was near the gourmet outdoor kitchen? Fabulous!] The covered patio's two ceiling fans were spinning furiously. A round table sat in the center of the group of chairs. Unlit citronella candles were waiting for dusk.

"I'll get Alaric. Can I get you something to drink? Iced tea? Lemonade?"

"Lemonade, please," Caroline said politely as she sat, placing her purse near her feet.

A few minutes later, Mercedes and Ric emerged from inside the dark interior of the house. Ric handed her a glass of lemonade that was already slick with condensation. He sat at her right and Mercedes sat across from her. Their glasses of iced tea were placed in front of them.

Pulling his phone from his pocket, Ric started them off. He explained the symptoms Hayley told them about in relation to the Mikaelson sister's curse, i.e. Rebekah's hallucinations, violence, and increasing mania. "This is the mark of the spell we're trying to remove." He passed his cell phone to Mercedes to look at the photo Hayley took of Rebekah's mark.

"Have you ever seen it before?" Caroline asked, sliding up to the front of her chair.

"No," was the answer. "Is she a vampire too?"

"Yeah." Ric leaned over and rifled through his bag. [He got touchy when Caroline called it his man purse. It was only when she remarked on how sexy Indiana Jones looked with his man purse was that he was mollified. Boys and their toys!] With the grimoire in hand, Alaric found the bookmarked page and passed it to Mercedes, taking his phone back.

"Oh yes," Mercedes remarked, finger sliding along the yellowed parchment.

The spell in the grimoire also marked a person. The mark was in the shape of a circle representing the sun. Warmth grew from the inside out. Starting gently, it consumed the host. Boils broke out as the mark became larger and larger. Fever and delirium followed. Nothing could quench the fire. The dark mark spread until the entire body was covered and the host died. Mercedes heard of the tales passed down through generations when it had been invoked. It was a long and painful death.

"It's relatively similar," Ric noted. "I thought if there was a spell to remove this mark, it might remove the mark from Rebekah." It might not be smart to drop The Original's name, but Ric noticed the connection Mercedes made with Caroline after hearing a little of her story. Putting a name to the vampire might make Mercedes more receptive to help them.

Mercedes shook her head, dark hair sliding over her shoulders. "Our grows like an infection, a disease from the inside out. This mark here is an open wound and gives her visions of death and destruction. It's external, fueled by her bloodlust. Do you have the item that hexed your friend?"

Caroline and Ric looked at one another and shook their heads. They had no idea what or where the item was that hexed Rebekah.

"The markings would have helped."

"I've looked through grimoire after grimoire and can't find anything," Ric admitted, taking a sip of his drink. He was back to the drawing board. Doing research was fun, but coming up empty was not.

"Can you think of any way to help us?" Caroline asked, tucking her hair over her shoulder again. There was no way they'd come so far and give up so quickly.

The witch looked them in the eye. "Your daughters, Ric, are siphoners. They can siphon the hex right out of her."

"No."

"No."

Both Caroline and Ric answered the witch at the same time. Using the girls' abilities was the very last resort and they weren't there yet. With 2 of the wolf packs not yet giving venom, they still had time to look for another way to help Rebekah.

"No way are our babies getting close to that kind of magic," Caroline told Mercedes confidently. "They're 3."

"Your babies?" the witch asked with a sparkle in her eye.

"I'm their mom. The only mom they know. They know Jo's in heaven watching out for them." Caroline gave a soft smile. "I'm surprised Jo didn't somehow get a rumble of thunder to come down at the idea of getting the girls involved."

Alaric smiled and Mercedes laughed. She did have an idea though. "Either you find the originator of the mark…or…"

"Or?" Ric asked, intrigued.

Mercedes flipped through the pages of the grimoire. The familiar symbols flashed past her eyes.

"This is a trial I wouldn't wish on anyone," she said, laying the book down on the table. "It's a cleansing ritual. It's not a reversal of the sun spell. There is none for that, but this…this," she told them, tapping the page, "might help."

Unable to resist, Alaric shoved the book under his nose and read the page and then read it again.

"Why is it so hard?" Caroline asked, uneasy. Would they have to get a rare camel from Timbuktu? Catch that hummingbird Klaus saw one time in Nepal? Solve a Rubik's cube? Not watch all of Legally Blonde when it was TV?

"It allows The Great Spirit above to judge your soul…before you die. The examination of your spirit can take the form of a test, a dive into your history, or whatever it chooses. It's a painful process, exhausting. If your intentions and actions are worthy, you will be cleansed anew. It would erase any marks or hexes."

Shoot. That didn't exactly sound like good news for Rebekah Mikaelson. Umm, all those massacres she surely took part in with her bros probably wouldn't go in the pro-good person column. [Um yeah, plus all those times she tried to Single White Female Caroline? Not cool, Bex.] An angel she was not. "And if not?"

Mercedes shrugged. "The speed of the hex, the speed it will eat her darkness until it consumes her, exponentially increases until there is nothing left. It will be fast and brutal."

Ric stared at Caroline. There were rumors a powerful enough witch could take down an Original though he didn't know if this spell would be enough to do it. They had something to their advantage though. "The sleep spell won't let it progress until she wakes up." If she ever woke up.

"I don't mean to be judgy," Caroline explained, crossing her legs as Alaric choked on his iced tea, "but I don't think Rebekah would pass that test."

"Why are you helping her then?"

Ric looked at Caroline. Yeah, he'd asked that question too and Ric had been thinking about the black sheep who definitely would fail any purity test, Hybrid Ken.

"Her family," was the answer Caroline gave.

The grimoire was placed back in Ric's bag after he carefully marked the purification spell page.

Caroline finished her lemonade and she just couldn't resist, ready to move on from ethical questions. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

Mercedes smiled. "Yes."

"What do you and your husband do? Your place looks like something from a magazine. I love it."

The witch laughed. She was very proud of the home she created with and for her family. "I'm an attorney specializing in copyright law. My husband owns a construction business. We built this together."

Caroline thought Mercedes' occupation made perfect sense. She used or closed loopholes in contracts. That's what witches did with spells, find loopholes and backdoors. It's also how Mercedes let Caroline onto her property while keeping the house safe, not breaking the promise she made her husband. [Also, Caroline had to check her preconceived notions about witches. There was her bestie Roger, the CPA, and now Mercedes, the corporate attorney. It made Caroline feel bad for Bonnie. She bet Mercedes hadn't died a bajillion times like her bestie.]

"It's beautiful," Ric agreed, standing up.

"Thank you. We only had one son when we started, but we've filled it up." She stood as well, still looking cool and collected.

"How many children do you have?" Caroline wondered as she pulled her purse over her shoulder, rising to her feet.

"Four. All boys."

Ric and Caroline gaped.

It was Mercedes' chance to show off. A picture of four beautiful boys with dark hair, dark eyes, and huge smiles was shown to the others.

"Here's my husband with them."

"Seriously?" Caroline gasped. Mercedes' husband was a super hunk! In board shorts with the body of a guy who still worked with his hands, [hello 6 pack and bulging biceps] he was throwing one of the boys into the pool. "I want to be you when I grow up."

Shoot!

"I mean, not like you're old or anything. You're beautiful. I love your hair and those shoes are Stuart Weitzman and you're probably not that much older than me." The rambling was on. "I know I look 17, yes 17, not 23 like a moron thought, but I'm really 24. And I don't want to steal your husband from you, married men are totally off limits, and you're obviously happy, but he's a babe and I want that one day…and I. Should. Stop. Talking." Caroline's cheeks blazed. Yes, vampires could blush.

Son of the wolf!

Mercedes laughed as Alaric smirked.

"It's fine," she said, putting her hand on Caroline's arm, charmed by the rant. "I'm very lucky."

The two women walked behind Ric as he led them back around the house to their car. "Sorry, I have a filter, but it can't always keep up." Mercedes laughed and Caroline continued. "I meant to say that I think what you have is great." Mercedes grinned as Caroline spoke again. "Maybe in twenty years, we can introduce our kids. Alright," Caroline admitted with a roll of her eyes, not willing to let her babies go even in two decades, "thirty years."

Mercedes laughed as Caroline showed her more pictures of the twins hamming it up for the camera.

Ahead of them, Ric opened the door and put his bag inside.

"I'm sorry I couldn't invite you in," Mercedes said softly to Caroline.

"I appreciate that." She licked her lips. "I'm sure it seems horrifying and unnatural to you and I certainly wasn't turned by choice, but I was a mess and becoming a vampire gave me more than it ever took from me. We aren't all the same." Mercedes nodded. That's what she'd gotten from their conversation too. "It's a lot patriarchal and creepy, but I have Ric's name on my rental agreement so he has to let any vampires into my place too. That's for my girls. I get it."

Alaric rounded the car to join them. "If we decide to go for the purification ritual, can you do it?" The spell didn't have many ingredients and the ones named were all ones he could easily acquire.

Mercedes paused. She really wasn't one to practice magic any longer, busy with the other parts of her life. Once her Tia Angela passed, Mercedes donated her grimoires to Ric's school. However, she could do this and let the Great Spirit decide Rebekah's fate. It seemed a fitting way to deal with vampires. "Yes."

"Could you do it in Dallas? Is that too far for you to come?" Caroline asked. Getting all the Mikaelsons to Dallas was one thing, but getting Rebekah on to El Paso was a whole other problem, especially with the 9 hour one-way drive.

"Our weekends are full. The boys all have baseball practice today." That was why she was home alone for their meeting. She thought of the options. "This might be more suitable. I have a cousin in Fort Worth. He practices all of the old rituals still. I can call him and get you set up."

"Thank you, Mercedes. We'll let you know if you need or your cousin's help."

"Yeah, thank you," Ric repeated, sounding like his daughters. "Goodbye."

"Good luck."

Ric got into the car, blasting the a/c.

"Caroline?" Mercedes called.

Caroline lifted a brow, hand on the door handle.

"I hope you get the house and babe of your dreams too," Mercedes told her with a huge grin.

.

.

.

"Sooooo," Caroline sang when it was just her and Hayley back in the Big D that night after an on time arrival. The twins were with Ric and Hope was asleep. It was just two moms and a bottle of tequila. Amen.

"So" Hayley repeated, twisting her hair into a knot, kicking her legs up onto one of the patio's empty chairs, getting comfy. She was in baggy athletic shorts and a loose T-shirt, her pajamas. Caroline was in a pink camisole and pink and purple striped boy shorts. No superheroes that day.

"Ric and I met with a witch today."

"Trying for baby number 3?" Hayley joked, sipping her drink, unwinding after a long day of entertaining the girls. Seeing how happy Hope was to be included in her new friend's birthday party that day had been worth all of it. The twins were awesome and silly. She'd been very busy with them and looking up details about signing Hope up for soccer. In for a penny, in for a pound with Caroline giving advice on keeping Hope active. She was exhausted.

"Anywho," Caroline answered, making Hayley laugh, "we met with this really cool witch who has this smoking hot husband and a house to die for! You should have seen it. If Hope ever needs a prom date, I'll give you her number. She has 4 boys. They will definitely be heartbreakers. Anyway, she had an idea on what to do about Rebekah's mark."

Hayley's feet fell flat to the ground when Caroline finally got to the point. Then she leaned across the table, pinning Caroline with her eyes. "What? This is my job, Caroline."

"Can we skip the part where you get all defensive about accepting my help?" Caroline asked, totally unmoved by Hayley's response, unwilling to get wound up. They'd already had this conversation and she was tired. A bloody snack at the airport kept her going, but it had still been a long day. Blah blah, Hayley angst over nothing. "I'm helping you so deal with it."

Frustrated beyond belief, Hayley thrust her hands into her hair. She bit out the words. "What did you find out?"

"Since you asked so nicely," Caroline chirped as Hayley growled, "her coven has a cleansing ritual. Think of it as a spiritual facial, although I guess you wouldn't call it a facial, would you? A spiritual-ial? A soul-cial? That doesn't sound right."

"Caroline."

"It will remove the blackheads on your soul."

"Caroline!"

Taking another sip of her drink, Caroline continued, unmoved by Hayley's frustration because she thought that was a pretty stinking good analogy. Seriously. "It's a spell that will remove any marks or hexes, like Rebekah's."

"That's good," Hayley begrudgingly admitted. Then she noticed the way Caroline wasn't looking at her. "What?"

"What?"

"Why aren't you acting like it's a good thing?" Wasn't Caroline all rah-rah about everything? Something was definitely up. Honestly, seeing all of Caroline's emotions cross her face, including her current uneasiness, was very freeing. Hayley was being careful visiting the pack in Indiana. She was honest with them, but also delicate. They didn't quite trust her. With Caroline there was no subterfuge. She was who she was and something was going on.

"There's a teensy little issue."

"Of course there is," Hayley sighed, sitting back into her seat. "There always is. Give it to me, Forbes."

"Basically you have to deserve to be purified." The idea of cleansing sounded good to Caroline and while she told Mercedes that day that being a vampire was the best thing for her, and it was, that didn't mean that there weren't things she'd done or probably would do that she wouldn't regret…and all because she was a vampire versus a human. Would she be worthy of purifying? She thought so, although that time without her humanity was really bad.

"Shoot." Hayley propped up her feet again, refilling her glass and Caroline's. [After all the times Caroline replied with a snappy "Language!" when Hayley swore, she started to adopt Caroline-swear-speak.]

"She'll go through a trial of some kind and it's not pleasant," Caroline added. "Her mark will grow faster too if she fails, but only if she's awake."

Hayley was quiet.

"There's a little poetic justice in this, don't you think?" Caroline asked, swatting away a bug that flew nearby.

"What do you mean?"

"Klaus is sacrificing something for his family and it's huge, his freedom and a part of Hope's childhood. He's finally doing something for others and I have to believe part of this is showing he can be a good dad for Hope. Showing her what he's made of."

Hayley nodded. She thought that was true. It was also showing his siblings what he was made of.

"It was test for all of you and Klaus made a choice, a good choice. Maybe Rebekah having to make good choices or show something good inside of her is only right."

It wasn't Rebekah only that Hayley was thinking about when she spoke. "They can't justify what they've done for a thousand years. Is that what the spell is? Going through their pasts because it sounds like a waste of time." She slicked her fingers along the glass. Elijah wouldn't be able to pass some sort of test of conscience. He had conviction in what he did, but that didn't make it right, no matter how elegantly it was done. Kol? Not a saint. Freya? Not her either. Hayley knew she wasn't always a good person either. Using this spell, a judgement spell, was scary. Was it a test anyone could pass? Human or vampire?

Hayley took another sip. "Klaus and Elijah would do anything for Hope."

Her eyes met Caroline's across the table.

"They'd kill a thousand people to save her, just her, without blinking an eye."

Caroline heard what Hayley didn't say, which is that she would do the same. She sighed. She'd do anything for her babies. She killed twelve witches who tried to help her to save her possessed friend back in the day. They made choices and had to live with them. That was one thing, but having to account for them to this unknown entity was another. Rebekah was not to be envied at all.

"She said it could be a trial too." Caroline spoke after taking another drink, seeing another angle. "If Rebekah's going to act like she has the mark, but without the mark, then why bother getting the mark off?"

Hayley looked up with confusion. She needed to get that Caroline-speak translated and it had little to do with alcohol. "Huh?"

The returning grin was immediate. "I mean if the mark makes Rebekah more vicious, but she'd be vicious even without it, then why bother? If she's going to murder, then why bother taking it off? It would only matter if that's not what she wanted to do." Sitting up straighter, Caroline felt like she was on a roll. Thanks tequila! "No look into her past will turn Rebekah into a paragon of virtue, let's be real, but you know what? This spell was intended for witches and humans. She's immortal. There's always opportunity for change and reinvention and getting it right if you live forever and if Klaus can put on his big boy pants and suck it up, being selfless when it's second nature for him to be selfish, then Rebekah can pull up her big girl panties and do the same. Let it be Rebekah's turn to show that she's learned something too."

"A trial where she's forced to make choices would show where Rebekah's head's at and considering she's been off away from New Orleans, away from Klaus really, probably not slaughtering anyone that I've heard of, maybe she'll get an opportunity," Hayley mused, seeing Caroline's point. "If the ritual involved more than a walk down memory lane, she might do ok. She wanted more than she had in New Orleans which is why left. She wants a normal human life even if she has no idea what that is."

"Seriously." Caroline took a deep breath, standing up. She was ready for bed. "I don't think there's anything to lose, but a lot for Rebekah to gain if it worked. Goodnight, Hayley."


	15. 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you’re enjoying your summer, everybody! What have I been doing other than writing? I’ve been reading and reading. These are my favorite three books I’ve read so far this summer. 
> 
>  
> 
> Ball Peen Hammer by Lauren Rowe
> 
>  
> 
> Just thinking about this book makes me laugh. It’s unbelievably good and my easy favorite out of all of the books I’ve read. After I finished it the first time, I went back and re-read it. Funny and smutty and I absolutely loved it! I read this book Lionel Ritchie style! Maddie! Keane! (A quick shoutout to Joshua William Faraday, Keane’s brother in law who has three amazing books of his own. Joshua William Faraday might be one of my all time favorite male characters, but Keane and Maddie’s book is better in my opinion.)
> 
>  
> 
> 2\. Mister O by Lauren Blakely
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> I will fight you all for Nick. This one is smuttier than the others, but it’s so good. It started me down the reading path and Lauren Blakely is so talented. Her books are great and I especially love all of her New York City men. 
> 
>  
> 
> 3\. Bet Me by Lila Monroe 
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>  
> 
> Absolutely fantastic! It reminds me of a classic romance with that slightly smuttier edge. So romantic and full of feels with a hilarious premise. Their meet cute could not be any better. All the twists and turns were great. 
> 
>  
> 
> Honorable Mention goes to a book by another author named Lauren. Lauren Layne. Her book Walk of Shame was brilliant! I got a lot of Mr. Darcy vibes from this one. 
> 
>  
> 
> Finally, my little story “The Case of the Wayward Wolf” aka my homage to Agatha Christie has been nominated for a Klaroline Award. Voting is now open if you’d like to give a chance. Check out the Klaroline Awards Tumblr page for the details.

A rumble of thunder in the distance rolled through the house. The first time it happened didn’t warrant much attention. The second time was a little louder and there were startled glances throughout the room. The trees outside began to sway as the wind picked up. 

 

Toys were put down and serious, worried looks passed between blue and brown eyes.

 

Then the skies opened.

 

Rain lashed the windows and there was no sign of the sunshine that had been there twenty minutes beforehand.

 

A flash of lightning was followed by a loud boom of thunder causing winces and jumps.

 

“It’s ok,” Hope told the twins nervously, not really convinced herself. 

 

Josie and Lizzie weren't sure, but they moved closer to her.

 

“My mom says that Jack’s bowling in heaven and that’s why it gets so loud.”

 

“He’s too loud,” Josie told her seriously as they huddled together in the twins’ bedroom. 

 

It was Monday and they’d picked Hope up after school. Hayley left again. She’d gone that morning. It was the week of the full moon and she promised Clay’s sister she’d help her during her transition. It should get her significantly closer to getting the werewolf venom needed. Caroline was making dinner.

 

“Yeah, he’s too loud,” Lizzie repeated.

 

Needing to feel safer, the girls sat between the two beds, huddling close together. They didn’t want to see what was going on outside, so getting away from the windows was smart. They were little enough when they sat down that they could avoid them. Hope sat in the middle with her best friends on either side, ready to make a break for it and run to their safe haven…their mom.

 

“Yeah. Sometimes,” Hope agreed.

 

There were more cracks and booms around them.

 

Caroline came rushing into the room. She’d gotten lost in making dinner and when a flash of lightning lit up the room she noticed she didn’t have two little ones clinging to her legs. Something was up.

 

“Babies!”

 

“Mommy, Jack is bowling and it’s really loud! I don’t like it.”

 

Huh?

 

Sitting down, loving how the three clung to one another, Caroline was able to get the scoop.

 

“My mom says when it’s thundering that it’s my other dad, Jack, and he’s bowling in heaven,” Hope explained.

 

Caroline’s smile couldn’t be contained. “Josie and Lizzie, your other mom, Jo. She’s in heaven, watching out over you. Do you think she’s bowling too?”

 

Twin smiles greeted that statement. “Seriously.”

 

A house shaking boom made the smiles disappear quickly.

 

“But they’re too loud, Mommy.”

 

“You’re the loudest babies I know, so she’s probably the loudest Mom,” Caroline joked, making sure to stroke their arms, offering comfort. Caroline told them a few stories she knew of Jo. She asked about Jackson and Hope knew a couple things about him she shared with them. They distracted each other. 

 

A little later a beep signaled dinner was ready. Caroline checked the weather app on her phone too. “I think they’re almost done playing and dinner’s ready. Ok?”

 

“Ok,” they agreed. It had gotten quiet and there were blue skies peeking around the edges. Plus, they were hungry.

 

The best time to go for a walk in the summer in the Big D was after a storm. The humidity was down and it was pleasant. 

 

Caroline was leading her munchkins on a walk after dinner. The girls were in shorts and tank tops. Their flip flops flip flopped down the street.

 

Every puddle was a playground.

 

They greeted them by jumping and splashing like seals.

 

“Everyone’s getting a bath tonight,” Caroline told them with a raised brow.

 

There were rejoicing cheers in return. Bath time was awesome! 

 

Like usual, Josie was in the lead, pushing the boundaries. Hope walked with her while Lizzie brought up the rear. Every little thing caught her interest and she stopped to investigate often. Caroline tried to keep them together.

 

“Josie, wait there,” Caroline called when Lizzie stopped to inspect one of the puddles they’d just jumped in.

 

“But mom,” Josie whined, putting her hand on her hip, “I can get a little bit ahead.”

 

“That’s a lot of bit ahead,” Caroline sassed.

 

Hope stood in front of Josie, reigning her in for Caroline. 

 

“We don’t leave anyone behind, ever. Remember girls?” Caroline told her as she turned back to get Lizzie. Not leaving one another behind was a big thing both Alaric and Caroline reinforced for them. 

 

The roads in their neighborhood were quiet. The sidewalks were wide and well maintained.

 

“Eww, baby, what are you touching?” Caroline asked as she came upon a crouching Lizzie who was retracting her finger. Before she could do more, Caroline swooped her up into her arms. 

 

“A worm,” she answered.

 

“Ick.” Caroline checked out the worm that fascinated Lizzie. It was dead. Double ick.

 

She carried her over to the other two who managed to wait patiently, a miracle. “Baby, don’t touch dead animals.”

 

“Why?”

 

“So you don’t catch any creepy diseases. Do you want a worm cold?” The idea made Caroline giggle, but that would take away the importance so she had to bite her tongue. Being an awesome mom was hard. Yeah, she was nailing. 

 

“No.”

 

To use reverse psychology or not mention it at all? It was a mom’s curse.

 

One choice won.

 

“Please don’t put your finger in your mouth until we can wash it.”

 

There was a vague acknowledgement on Lizzie’s behalf.

 

“Josie, Josie, I saw a worm.” Lizzie’s face fell to increase the drama as Caroline set her down with her sister and Hope. “It was dead.”

 

That was enough to send Josie bursting into tears.

 

“I touched it,” Lizzie told Hope who made face that was a cross between grossed out and completely fascinated.

 

“Baby, why are you crying?” Caroline wiped away her tears. Josie was too distraught to answer. “Was it because you missed touching the worm or because it’s dead?” Caroline figured it was one of the two. 

 

Josie merely nodded. 

 

“Both?” 

 

Josie nodded again. 

 

Caroline picked her up and kissed her cheek. “It’s ok, honey.”

 

She looked at the other two and of course Lizzie was sucking her thumb.

 

What the fudge?

 

But was it the worm finger or thumb?

 

Was it?

 

“Baby,” Caroline sighed. A worm derailed their nice walk. Who knew? “I think it’s time we go back. There are a few puddles you missed.”

 

They turned around to return home and Josie wanted to be carried so Hope and Lizzie got to do the jumping while Josie rested her head against Caroline’s shoulder, distraught over the deceased worm. 

 

The quartet were just reaching the driveway when Hope sped towards the door.

 

As if it was it was happening in slow motion, Hope’s wet feet in her flip flops slipped on the asphalt. 

 

While Caroline was fast with her whooshing, she’d set Josie down and gotten to Hope only after the damage was done. It was the moment Hope was in too much shock to realize she’d scraped her knee. 

 

Caroline pressed Hope to her chest, soothing her as Hope’s first scream rang out.

 

It took a minute for Caroline to smell the blood.

 

One of the things she was really proud of, other than her ass and amazing fashion sense, was that her gums burned when she smelled the blood of one of the kids, but it never got further than that. Her eyes never turned red. The veins never blackened. It was as if her maternal nature superseded her vampire nature and let her know this blood wasn’t fair game. So she knew Hope was bleeding, but that’s as far as it went. [The Starbucks barista she’d drank from earlier that day had fulfilled her needs well enough.]

 

“I know, baby. I know,” Caroline cooed, smoothing her hand along Hope’s hair. She caught Josie and Lizzie’s eyes. They were stock still. Hope was their leader, the older one, and the fact that she actually got hurt was shocking. It had taken Hope a week to get a Time Out! [Caroline was pretty sure based on the mischievous smile Hope slyly tried to hide that there was plenty of good ole Klaus Mikaelson DNA kicking in that girl, other than the dimples after all, but unlike her cray-cray dad, Hope could keep a lid on it.] “Come on, babies. Hurry up.”

 

They started to run and all Caroline needed was a repeat of what just happened. As Hope wailed in her ear, Caroline called out, “Don’t run. Walk really fast.”

 

Miss Betty next door was just starting to peer her head outside due to the screams when Caroline got all three kiddos inside. No noisy neighbors today.

 

Josie and Lizzie got close to the action as Caroline set a still crying Hope down on a kitchen chair. 

 

“I know, baby. It hurts,” Caroline calmly told her, pressing a lukewarm damp washcloth to Hope’s knee to clean the wound up and stop the bleeding.

 

The tears slipping down Hope’s cheeks slowed. “Is it bad?”

 

Caroline got a peek, the twins practically crawling under her arms to get a look too. “Nope. Not too big and not too bad.” It was a classic childhood skinned knee. Not deep, but it stung. 

 

Hope swiped at her nose which began to run when she was crying. 

 

Caroline’s phone buzzed in her pocket. It was Hayley checking in. She texted back to call back in 15 minutes. “Let’s get you in the tub and then you can get a bandaid. I have Sesame Street or Hello Kitty.”

 

“Lucky,” Josie whispered to her sister as Caroline snorted.

 

Hope got her bath and a Hello Kitty bandaid on her boo-boo knee. She had an orange towel on her head turban-style and the twins were finishing their baths when Hayley called back.

 

“Mommy!” Hope waved with a big smile, dimples flashing.

 

“Hey baby! Get a bath?”

 

“Yup. I fell down too.”

 

“You did?”

 

Hope did some gymnastics to get the phone in position to show off her bandaid.

 

“What else is going on?” Hayley asked after Hope gave her the detailed description of her flesh wound.

 

The twins emerged behind Hope, all fresh and clean.

 

“Lizzie has a worm cold…”

 

“Yeah,” Lizzie agreed seriously in the background.

 

“…and Josie cried cuz she wanted to touch the worm too.”

 

“Yeah,” Josie sighed as she walked by.

 

Hayley laughed. “So a usual day in the Forbes household?”

 

.  
.  
.

 

“I’m so excited,” Caroline yelped with a clap Wednesday morning. Hope was in school and Ric and Caroline had big plans for the girls.

 

Once a month they each spent a day with one of the girls so they got special time, one on one. The twins loved spending all their time together, but it was important they developed individually too. They each got a special day. Both parents tried to pick something they wouldn’t usually do with them, tailoring it to whichever child they got that day.

 

This time Caroline got Josie and Ric got Lizzie. 

 

“Alright girls. Say goodbye,” Caroline said after giving Lizzie a last big hug and Alaric did the same with Josie.

 

Watching the twins hug each other was a highlight moment for both parents. Their babies were the bestest!!!!!

 

The sisters squeezed each other tight, not wanting to let go.

 

“Mommy, who rules the world,” Lizzie requested before she and Josie left.

 

“Yes! Love it, baby girl!” Caroline yelped.

 

They did their “Who Runs the World” Beyonce routine with lots of 3 year old ass shaking to get them off to the perfect start.

 

“Love you so much. See you later,” Caroline waved as she walked outside with Josie holding her hand.

 

“What are we doing?” Josie asked when they walked into Caroline’s place.

 

“First we’re going shopping then I have something very, very special planned.”

 

“Ooohhh,” Josie cooed, sounding so much like her mom.

 

Josie was growing like a weed so she got new sandals and two outfits. Of course Caroline got a few new things for Lizzie too. 

 

When it was 11, Caroline drove them to the destination she hoped would blow Josie’s mind.

 

Josie’s very best favorite toy in the world was her fire engine. She loved everything about it, the ladders, lights, and sirens. She loved crashing it into things and also racing to the scene after other crashes. She loved stories about firefighters and how they had to be smart and brave. They got to climb things and help people. Win-win!

 

Because she was nailing the cool mom thing, Caroline called the local fire department location. They told her it would be ok if she stopped by for a quick visit. If they got any calls they would have to immediately leave, but they loved meeting members of the community.

 

“Josie, look,” Caroline said when she parked the car, turning to look at the little girl in her booster seat. “We’re at the fire department.”

 

Josie’s jaw dropped making Caroline giggle. 

 

“Do you want to go inside?”

 

“Yes!” she screamed, wiggling.

 

Moving quickly, Caroline got out and freed Josie from her seat. Her ponytail was bobbing up and down as she kept wiggling her booty, unable to stand still. Josie was in green shorts and a colorful top. Caroline was in one of her classic summer dresses, multicolored with lots of pinks and purples. 

 

From the car, Caroline picked up the box on the seat. She made chocolate chip cookies with Hope the night before. One batch was saved at the house. The rest were for the firemen. [Hey, she watched Chicago Fire and saw how much they loved the gifts they got!]

 

As they walked towards the brick building, Caroline leaned down to her daughter. “They do serious work, so we can’t get in their way and we need to be good listeners. Ok, baby?”

 

“Ok, Mommy,” Josie agreed. She would agree to anything, anything at all at that point. Eat all her veggies? Sure. Not meltdown? Absolutely. She was going to meet real life firefighters!

 

Inside the door, the a/c was pumping, keeping them cool.

 

“Can I help you?”

 

Caroline was pretty sure she did need help because she just swallowed her tongue. The man in front of her was absolutely gorgeous. He oozed testosterone. He wasn’t pretty boy handsome, which yeah she liked. He was rougher and his blue pants and shirt fit him well. Yum. Someone liked to work out. Biceps like that weren’t built in a day!

 

The dark haired man walked towards them with a smile. He reminded Caroline a lot of Tyler’s gorgeous uncle Mason. 

 

That smile sent Josie running behind Caroline of course.

 

“Hi. I called and spoke with Cindy. She said it was ok if we stopped by to say hi,” Caroline answered, tipping her head towards Josie behind her.

 

“Sure,” the man said with a pleasant smile. “I’m Kelly. Can I take this for you?” he asked, indicating the box of cookies Caroline was holding with one hand.

 

“Please.” She gave him her Miss Mystic Falls smile. “They’re for you guys. Chocolate chip cookies.” His eyes lit up even more and Caroline was pretty sure her dead ovaries were twitching. “I’m Caroline and this is my daughter Josie.”

 

Kelly was a pro. He picked up the cookies as if they weighed nothing and squatted down. “Hi Josie. Thank you for the cookies.”

 

Her pretty smile was shy as she nodded, trying to hide as much of herself as possible behind Caroline, making Kelly laugh. The sound was infectious. Could he be more drool worthy? Seriously?

 

“If I don’t get these out to the guys, I’ll never hear the end of it,” he said as he stood up. “Can I show you around?”

 

“We’d love it,” Caroline answered, turning to look down at Josie who was putting her hands up. When she was in her mom’s arms she was more willing to look at Kelly. 

 

He led them down a long hallway. 

 

“Josie wants to be a firefighter when she grows up so we wanted to learn more about what you do.”

 

“Is that so?” Kelly asked as he opened a door, letting the ladies in first. 

 

“Yeah, it’s true,” Josie answered, finding her voice when it meant talking about something super important, like being a firefighter.

 

“We’d be lucky to have you,” he said with a charming grin.

 

The room they were in was the rec room. Guys and a handful of women were watching television, playing games, and eating.

 

“What is that?” one of the guys asked, eyes narrowed, when he saw what Kelly was holding.

 

“Exactly what you were hoping for,” Kelly said with a roll of his eyes. “Caroline and Josie brought us cookies.”

 

A huge cheer went up as everyone ran over to get the goodies. They were full of thank yous for Caroline and Josie who giggled at some of their antics and the faces they made.

 

“It’s like feeding time at the zoo,” Kelly told Caroline as he led them on a tour of the fire station. As the woman on the phone did the week before, he told Caroline if they got a call they’d all clear out ASAP and she understood.

 

Caroline got a million photos of Josie, with her beaming smile, as she got to explore all over. She even got to sit behind the wheel of one of the engines. It would be too loud to beep the horn or turn on a siren while inside the garage, but Kelly let her turn on some lights that had her giggling and absolutely thrilled. 

 

A picture of her with Kelly’s helmet dwarfing her was the cutest.

 

Being willing to help people, being brave, and thinking quickly were the three traits he told Josie every good firefighter needed to have. He told her a few happy ending stories and answered Caroline’s question with a yes, they did occasionally get a call about a cat stuck in a tree and more seriously, yes, they risked their lives with every call.

 

As they were winding down their visit and reentering the rec room again, Caroline asked Kelly another question as she looked around. “Do you have a lot of female firefighters?” It was important that her babies had good role models and knew they could do anything, absolutely anything, they wanted.

 

“A handful. Our two paramedics right now are women too,” he told her, resting a hip against a counter. “Hey Sophie,” he called out.

 

A pretty brunette came over, giving Josie a big smile.

 

“Josie wants to be a firefighter.”

 

“Right on,” Sophie agreed, giving Josie a fist bump the little girl returned.

 

Caroline looked at her seriously, curious, as she set Josie down, her arms tired after carrying her for almost an hour. Maybe she could pitch it as a news article- women in the Dallas fire stations, not just the firefighters but all the support staff, paramedics, etc. “How hard is it to get here as a woman?”

 

Sophie could see the intelligence and warmth in Caroline’s eyes so she was honest, but since she was a stranger she kept her answer diplomatic as well. After a few more questions from Caroline, Sophie gave Caroline a look. “Anything these guys can do, I can do,” she affirmed, crossing her arms over her chest. 

 

“Awesome.” Caroline gave her a big smile. She believed Sophie absolutely. “Be safe.”

 

Sophie nodded at Kelly, gave Josie a last wave, and walked away.

 

“We should get going. Let you get back to work.”

 

His blue eyes twinkled. “This has been the highlight of my day.”

 

Well hello, Mr. Flirt. Maybe all the guys the Big D was hiding were there all along! 

 

The blue eyes in front of her reminded her of some other blue eyes. The other blue eyes were haunting her dreams. They were annoyingly beautiful those eyes. They were also trapped and unable to flirt with her at the moment. They were the eyes belonging to a guy that might not want anything to do with her.

 

Waste not. Want not.

 

“Lizzie’s gonna be so jealous,” Josie sang, checking everything out one last time as they began their return to the car.

 

“Lizzie?”

 

“Her twin sister,” Caroline explained. “She was with her dad today.”

 

Blue eyes met blue eyes. “Your husband?”

 

So subtle. Her grin was huge. This was no Brandon the wolf-son insulting her with his old lady nonsense. “Never. Just their dad.”

 

His smile was brilliant.

 

Her ovaries started to mambo.

 

“Does she want to be a firefighter too?” Kelly asked Josie.

 

“Nope, but she likes my fire truck.”

 

“There’s one thing we didn’t see,” Caroline reminded him, taking Josie’s hand as they waved goodbye to his colleagues.

 

“What’s that?”

 

“The fire pole.”

 

His head was thrown back as he laughed. “Of course.”

 

“Baby,” she squeaked in excitement to Josie as she clapped when they came upon it. It was just like every TV show ever. 

 

“Seriously, Mommy!”

 

Josie’s arms went up again. She had something to whisper in her mom’s ear.

 

When Caroline heard the question, she gave Josie a serious look. “75.”

 

Josie’s eye roll was epic, making Caroline grin.

 

“I’m serious, baby.”

 

“Ask him,” she whispered.

 

Kelly had been watching in amusement at the secret conversation.

 

With a dramatic sigh, Caroline turned to Kelly with a big smile and twinkling eyes. “Josie wants to know how old you have to be to slide down the fire pole. I told her 75.”

 

“It’s actually 65.”

 

“See Mommy,” Josie huffed, making Caroline crack up and Kelly grin.

 

“Fine. When you’re 65, you can slide down it.”

 

Her smile was triumphant.

 

“Kelly, thanks for showing us around. I think you’ve really inspired her.”

 

“My pleasure. Let me walk you out.”

 

With an extra swing in her step, the trio walked out to the car. Caroline got Josie in her seat and the car a/c going. Even the walk outside to the car made them sticky.

 

“Can I take you out?” Kelly asked, not wasting time. Caroline liked that. She was attracted to confident men. Confident men with blue eyes. No, she would not think of Voldemort at a time like this. He would not be the female equivalent of a cock blocker. Ovary barricade? What the correct term these days? 

 

“I’d like that,” she answered honestly, giving him her number.

 

“I’ll call you,” he said with a huge grin as he ran back inside. “Bye, Caroline.”

 

.  
.  
.

 

It didn’t take long for Kelly to call. He called the next day and Caroline was impressed that he actually called versus texted. It showed he was serious about taking her out. With his unusual schedule and her arrangement with Ric, they agreed to a date that Saturday. It worked for both go them.

 

Checking her reflection one last time, Caroline fluffed her hair and walked into the living room.

 

“What time is he getting here?” Hayley asked from the couch where she was reading a book with Hope. She’d gotten in late the night before and they hadn’t had much of a chance to talk with the girls’ morning dance class and errands that had to be run. 

 

Sitting down, Caroline moved the important items from her purse into a wristlet for the night. “In the next few minutes.”

 

“He’s a firefighter?”

 

“Yup.”

 

“Is he cute?” Hope asked with a coy look on her face.

 

“So cute,” Caroline answered with a grin.

 

“Cuter than my daddy?”

 

Oh boy. That was a loaded question.

 

Hayley merely raised a brow, letting Caroline get out of that jam on her own.

 

She opened her mouth…Ding-Dong

 

Saved by the bell!

 

“Kelly,” Caroline breathed as she opened the door to the handsome fireman. He looked great in light washed jeans and a casual T-shirt that was stretched across his broad chest.

 

“You look great,” he said with a genuine smile, checking out her pink shorts and sleeveless top.

 

“Thanks. You too,” Caroline answered a little nervously. It had been too long since she’d been on a real date. 

 

“Are you ready?”

 

“Yes,” she agreed, grabbing her wristlet. Then she looked at Hayley and Hope watching everything with curious eyes. She looked at Kelly and inclined her head to get him to step inside for a minute. “This is Hayley, my umm sort of friend slash occasional frenemy, and Hope, her daughter who is my super awesome friend.” Hayley rolled her eyes and Hope giggled.

 

“Hi ladies.”

 

“They’re staying with me in Dallas since they’re new to town. Have fun and I’ll see you later,” she told them, leading the way to the door with Kelly following.

 

“Occasional frenemy?” Kelly asked when they were outside.

 

“Long story,” Caroline told him with twinkling eyes as he opened the door to his Camaro. Yeah, a Camaro! A sexy car for a sexy man.

 

Conversation flowed pretty well as they drove. 

 

“You have season tickets?” Caroline asked, tucking some hair behind her ear.

 

“I split a season with two buddies.”

 

Kelly was taking Caroline to a Texas Rangers baseball game.

 

She was excited. It wasn’t her usual thing, but she had to admit she loved the alpha jock types. They were her favorite in high school. Seriously, just look at Matt Donovan or Tyler Lockwood.

 

Not having had a chance to go to a game yet in Dallas, she was looking forward to it. If nothing else, it would be a blog post.

 

Kelly was attentive. He held open all the doors. He carried their beers out to the seats which were decent.

 

There was flirtation in the air. Caroline told him about her job and a little about the girls. He told her about his family, two sisters and a younger brother. He made her laugh and she made him laugh too. Things were going really well.

 

It was in the third inning after a great time that something switched with him. His phone started to go off. He’d explained that he had to get it and Caroline understood, but after checking the texts and firing some back, he was distant. It happened over and over. Every time he warmed up, he got cold again.

 

Unable to help herself, Caroline leaned in and read the name of the text sender. Aubrey.

 

Who was Aubrey? One of his sisters? Oh denial! You so crazy. 

 

Gulping her beer to keep from reading the actual texts, Caroline couldn’t hold back after he went back and forth with Aubrey a few more times. She blurt it out. “Who is she?”

 

Kelly’s head popped up and a guilty look crossed his face.

 

“I’m screwing this up aren’t I?”

 

With a sigh, Caroline agreed, “You are.”

 

It sucked, but there was some part of Caroline that wasn’t overly disappointed. It was great to be wanted by a decent, hot guy, but there was a lot on her plate at the moment and dealing with other woman drama was not something she’d ever consider. Ten years ago she’d be all over that, wanting to be chosen first and ending up being chosen last. She was the new and improved Caroline who was making better life choices, especially when it came to handsome dudes. She hadn’t gotten in deep enough to be more than slightly upset that the potential was gone. 

 

“Just tell me,” she urged him when he was quiet, tucking his phone away in his pocket despite all the texts Aubrey was sending him, his phone buzzing away like an angry beehive.

 

“You won’t hate me?”

 

She pointed her beer bottle at him. “Are you married?”

 

“No.”

 

“Is she pregnant with your baby?”

 

He grinned. “No.”

 

“Are you with her?”

 

“No.” That answer came with a little wiggle compared to the others.

 

“Is she in jail or stuck someplace that she needs you right now?”

 

He laughed. “No.”

 

“Then I won’t hate you, so tell me.”

 

“I like you, Caroline,” he told her, putting his arm along the back of her chair. After stopping to applaud a great strikeout, he explained. “Aubrey’s my ex.”

 

“How recently?”

 

“A couple of weeks ago.”

 

Then Kelly told Caroline all about Aubrey. Personally, Caroline thought the other woman was absolutely crazy after hearing his tale, but Kelly was drawn to her and hadn’t made a clean enough break of it. Guys really did think with their dicks. 

 

“I’m sorry I screwed up our date,” he told her sincerely. “When I get my head on straight, can we try this again?”

 

“Fudge no.” Her answer was immediate and all sass.

 

“Fudge?”

 

“I can’t swear around the girls. They’re parrots, but Kelly, I think you’re a nice guy with an insane ex that’s not really an ex if you’ve slept with her a few times since you broke up. You need to figure out if you’re all in or all our with her.” She gave him an exaggerated eye roll and got serious. “I have a bit of an issue with guys not prioritizing me.”

 

“And I did that today. I’m really sorry.”

 

“I believe you,” she told him gently. He might have had a screwy love life, but he was a decent guy. 

 

“Can we still hang out?”

 

Her smile was big. “Friends without sex benefits?” It hurt to say because Caroline could only imagine the sex would be good…until that other blue-eyed devil interrupted her day dream as Kelly stripped his shirt off. He growled at Kelly, scaring him off since he was the real Alpha male. Ugh. Voldemort was striking again! And he couldn’t strike where she needed him most. Yup, she meant in the vagina. “I’d like that.”

 

They clinked bottles and enjoyed their time together.

 

Later on, “Can I ask you something, friend?” 

 

“Sure, pal,” Kelly agreed in the seventh inning.

 

She giggled. “I have a bit of dilemma. I have a friend who needs some help. I think I’ve figured out a way to help him, but I’m not sure if I should get this help on my own or tell another friend who has more experience.”

 

“Can you be more specific?” He was a problem solver. It’s what he did, but he had no idea what kind of thing Caroline was talking about.

 

“Nope.”

 

“You want to do it, whatever it is, yourself?”

 

“Yes,” she agreed, turning in her seat to face him. She’d been thinking about Brandon’s dad, the likely wolf, for a week, unsure what to do. Did she go herself? Did she just give up and tell Hayley about him? The latter seemed like a copout. She was a freaking vampire! She drank from a bank teller that morning! She could handle it mostly likely, but should she? A mistake would be fatal. “I want to contribute more than I am.”

 

“But this other person is better prepared?”

 

Biting her lip, she groaned, “Unfortunately. Especially if something went wrong. Does it sound like my pride is coming at my friend in trouble’s expense?” That sounded like a grown up and honest way of saying it. Did it matter if she did it for Klaus or that anyone did it or Klaus? 

 

Ugh and how did she end up talking about Klaus, even peripherally, on her blown up date? Seriously!

 

“Ohhh,” she pointed before Kelly could respond, “Kiss Cam!”

 

He laughed and they watched in amusement as the ballpark’s camera wandered around, finding couples to make out for their amusement. It was great.

 

“The girls would love this. Can we stop so I can buy them some hats?”

 

“Sure,” he agreed, settling in, regretting that he blew his date with Caroline who was smart, beautiful, and so sexy. He really, really blew it. “Is what you’re talking about dangerous, Caroline?”

 

Hmmm. Yes? “Nah,” she scoffed, hating to lie to him. Yeah, it was stupid dangerous, trying to talk to a newly turned wolf who probably had no clue what was going on and that their bite would kill her and she kinda couldn’t be killed. It wasn’t in her life plan. 

 

His blue eyes stared intently. She wanted to look away so badly and she finally did. “Call your friend. Go together, but don’t do it alone.” He touched her forearm to get her attention again. “I’ll go with you.”

 

“That’s sweet.” It really was. “But I’ll tell my friend I guess.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

Nope. “Yup.”

 

Hayley would find out about the wolf man in the Big D after all. 

 

Shoot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I turning this into a Chicago Fire crossover FF? Nope, but I love Kelly Severide as a character so I’m changing him up and borrowing him for a bit here. He’s a good person to fill out this story, but trust me, I love Klaroline and only Klaroline, no other Klaus or Caroline pairings ever, so he’s firmly in the friend zone even if they ever flirt.


End file.
